City of Shadows
by insomniakitty
Summary: Victoria Romano can't escape her past. She's worked hard to make a life for herself and her adoptive little brother, Jacob. But how can she move on when she's haunted by people she'd much rather forget?  ORIGINAL CHARACTERS IN CASSANDRA CLARE'S WORLD.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1 – Marked**

Kaden Nasr bent his head and narrowed his eyes against the harsh wind that whipped through the streets. Born in Brazil, he had never gotten used to the cold. He turned up the collar of his coat as trash skittered across the sidewalk. The chilly air spoke of a fast-approaching winter. Where he came from, there was a dry season and a rainy season, and both were hot. He had never known any other place. It was difficult to adjust.

Kaden was seventeen years old, and this was his first assignment, his first time away from his family in the mundane world. It wasn't quite how he expected it to be, but then again, he wasn't sure what he had expected.

Canada was a beautiful country, he had been told, with breathtaking wilderness. But all he'd seen of it was the bustling city of downtown Toronto, where the Institute was located. And even of that, he had not seen much.

It was nearly three a.m. as he made his way through the shadows between the flickering streetlamps. He soundlessly descended the stairs to the subway, which was now closed. Earlier his Sensor had picked up traces of demon energies in the tunnels and now that no one was around, he moved in to investigate.

His night vision kicked in, and he immediately saw that the lock had been carefully picked. He frowned, reaching out to touch it. The lock showed no outward signs of damage, so whoever opened it knew what they were doing.

Alert, Kaden slipped inside.

He pulled his witchlight out of his pocket. Rays of light illuminated his surroundings as he closed his fingers around the stone. He kept a sharp eye out, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The air was still and silent, as was his Sensor. There was no sign of the demons he had been expecting to encounter, or anyone else, for that matter.

Everything was as you would think an empty subway station should be. But Kaden continued forward, undeterred, the thought of the picked lock playing on his mind.

He stepped up to the edge of the platform, peering into the darkness of the tunnel extending on either side of him where the witchlight could not reach. He was about to turn around when a sound caught his ear.

The noise was a faint echo from far down the tunnel on the left. It was impossible to discern what was making the sound. His Sensor registered nothing. Still, he pulled a weapon from inside his coat, naming it quietly in the dark.

"_Nakir_."

The angel blade burst to life with a flare of light. Leaping down onto the tracks, he tucked his witchlight rune-stone away and moved forward with the soundless grace of a jungle cat.

* * *

He could see his even breaths in front of him, like puffs of smoke. It was frigid in the tunnel, the air only seeming to get colder as he continued. His fingers felt stiff around the hilt of his seraph blade, which shone like glowing ice.

The noise grew louder, and it was now easy to recognize the sound of human voices. They became more distinct as he neared a bend in the tunnel. Kaden could hear people talking, and more people shouting over them. There was also a strange scuffling sound almost being drowned out, with intermittent grunts and thuds. He slowed and cautiously turned the corner. A glamour kept him hidden as he took in the sight before him.

Flickering orange light bounced off the dirty walls, coming from a bonfire roaring in an old rusted metal barrel. The air was thick and warm now, smelling of smoke and sweat and grime. There was a mass of people ranging in age, almost all of them looking like they came off the streets. They were rowdy, pushing and shoving as they stood in a rough circle, obviously split into two sides. Kaden advanced, and through a break in the crowd he saw what they were watching.

A fight raged in the center, over the tracks. It was violent and rough, though it was clear that the girl was more skilled, trained. Kaden watched as the boy staggered back, a hand over his face as blood gushed from his nose and soaked his filthy t-shirt, spattering across the ground. Cracking it back into place, he lunged at the girl with his mouth twisted in a snarl of fury.

Blood was leaking from a cut above her eyebrow, dripping down the side of her face. She didn't seem to notice this in the least, and swiftly counter-attacked even as the boy brought them both to the ground. There was a vicious, focused light in her eyes. She quickly gained the upper hand, straddling the boy as she rained punches down on his chest, face, and neck. The two dog tags hanging from a chain on her neck swung wildly, glinting the firelight. The whole scene was painted in the hellish glow of the fire.

But something else held Kaden's attention.

The girl was wearing baggy sweatpants and a tank top, and her bare arms were encircled with Marks, like licks of black fire. They curled around her collarbone, disappearing under her clothes. Kaden knew them well, for they were the same Marks that were burned onto his own skin, Marks that clearly identified their kind.

She was a Shadowhunter.

Kaden watched as the boy went limp underneath her, arms falling away from where they had struggled to protect his face. He was clearly unconscious, and didn't move as she stood, spitting on the ground at his feet. The two sides of the crowd surged forward. Money was exchanged amid shouting, small scuffles breaking out and quickly resolving themselves before getting serious.

Kaden watched her closely as the girl accepted obvious praise from her group, as well as pocketing the money discreetly slipped into her hand. She nodded to a few people and spoke a few words to others. Someone handed her a sweater and she took it, putting it on over her clothes, which were streaked with dirt and blood. Zipping it up and pulling up the hood, she silently slipped away as several packs of beer were distributed.

Kaden had no idea what he had walked in on. A gang war? Entertainment for the street urchins? And while he had hopelessly stopped trying to figure out why mundanes did the things they did, he wondered: why was this Shadowhunter participating?

He hastily followed her quiet steps down the tunnel, shoving his blade through his belt. She moved fast. He had no idea if his glamour worked against her, so he was cautious not to be seen as she climbed up onto the platform and slipped out the door of the subway.

He trailed her all the way to an old garage at the edge of the city. The sign above read _Vic's Mechanics_. It was almost six o'clock in the morning now, and the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a pale glow over the city from the east, where the polluted water from Lake Ontario lapped against the docks nearby. He could hear the soft, distant cry of seagulls as they woke and smelled the faint scent of lake water in the air as he watched her enter quietly through the side door of the building.

He hesitated, and after a moment's thought, he decided he would return.

* * *

Victoria Romano ached all over. Despite her victory, she had still taken a beating.

As she quietly made her way out of the subway and through the streets of downtown Toronto, she listened carefully to the nearly-silent footsteps trailing behind her. Her hand tightened around the money she had won tonight at the underground fight in the tunnels. Usually if someone followed her home, it meant they had a problem with her win, and had taken it upon themselves to get their money back.

She sighed, crossing the street to take the long way home. Her chest tightened. _Jacob_. He was waiting for her, depending on her for the money they needed to pay the rent and buy food and keep him in school. He was thirteen years old now, a growing boy. He had been eleven when she had picked up during her true street days, an orphan that had become like a brother to her. She used to curse herself for getting attached – he was just another mouth to feed – but now she couldn't imagine life without him. She had become fiercely protective of him.

The footsteps did not falter behind her, nor did they gain on her. It was confusing. Was this person going to confront her? She just wanted to go home. She had left her stele behind and desperately needed an _iratze_, a healing rune.

Eventually Victoria gave up trying to lose the person following her and headed straight home. She walked into the back room of the garage just as the sun was coming up. She went straight for the desk where she hid her knives. She tucked a wickedly sharp dagger in her sweater and glanced in the room to her left out of the corner of her eye, without turning her head. Whoever had followed her could be watching, and she didn't want Jacob in danger. Thankfully, she could see him sprawled out across the small bed, fast asleep.

She was dead tired but did not hesitate to turn and walk back out of the building. She looked down the street just in time to see a dark figure turn away and melt back into the shadows. She stood cautiously, watching vigilantly, but the person did not return.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 – A Day in the Life**

"Good morning." Jacob rubbed his sleepy eyes, shuffling over to the tiny round kitchen table.

"Morning," he mumbled back. Victoria smiled at the sight of him, with his dark hair all sticking up at odd angles. She ruffled his hair and he endured it good-naturedly. She pulled the cereal down from the cupboard above the greasy stove and set it down in front of a still half-asleep boy before turning and grabbing him a bowl and milk as well.

They didn't live in the lap of luxury, but it wasn't _so_ bad, she thought as she watched him pour the cereal. One big room was their kitchen and dining room, a couple of couches and a TV on the other side. They shared a single bathroom and bedroom, and took unscheduled turns sleeping on the couch. It was a pretty cramped living space at the back of the shop where Vic ran her mechanics business. Still, they had food, running water, shelter, electricity, and enough money to send Jacob to school.

Jacob dumped his empty bowl and spoon in the sink, shoving the cereal box back in the cupboard and milk in the fridge. She stood there in the kitchen as he changed and walked back out of the bedroom, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and looking considerably more awake.

"See you later," he said, hugging her swiftly. She squeezed him a little extra hard when she realized he was almost as tall as her. Almost 14 years old. She watched as he loped out the door – her heart gave a motherly pang, but she smiled softly. He was growing up. After a few more moments he had disappeared around the corner of the street, walking to school. Vic remembered the days she when had walked with him.

She sighed and roused herself, pushing away from the kitchen counter she leaned on. It was time to get to work.

Victoria had a few regular customers, and her shop had become known for its services, particularly on the black market. Street racers brought their cars and bikes in to get their engines turbo-charged and other special features installed. It wasn't quite legal, but it paid so well she was willing to risk it once in a while. Other than that it was just regular business.

And regular business meant Downworlders. A vamp with his bike ruined by holy water, a wolf that'd busted the axle of his Jeep in the backcountry. All in a day's work.

She threw her hair up in a pony tail, rolling up the sleeves of her oil-stained work shirt as she lay back on the skateboard and slid underneath the car she was currently working on. The radio beat in the background. A few more tweaks and it should be good.

A couple of costumers came and went, and she didn't bother to keep her Marks glamoured. The Downworlders knew she was Nephilim, but she'd never crossed them and never questioned them either, which got her respect. And she only got the occasional mundane in her shop anyway. So she was surprised when about half an hour before closing time, a human walked in.

It was a boy, tall and lean, with golden skin and espresso-dark brown hair. Cat-green eyes, a leather jacket and jeans. Everything looked designer. She regarded him appreciatively for a moment as she wiped her hands on a rag, but immediately sensed there was something off about him. Still, an odd human was nothing compared to some of her usual customers.

"Hey," she said, tossing the rag aside and walking up to her makeshift desk where the deals were made. "What can I do for you?"

"I just need a regular tune-up," he said. He had a very slight foreign accent. Vic nodded slowly, peering at him. He gazed calmly back at her, but there was something almost _too_ serene about his expression. Like he was forcing it to look natural.

"Alright, bring it in," she said, hitting the garage door button. It opened with a groan, sending cool air rushing in. _Winter is coming,_ Vic thought as goosebumps rose along her arms.

The boy nodded and walked out, driving in an expensive black sports car that growled when he touched the gas. She gestured for him to park it where it was. As he got out gracefully, she watched him. It was hovering on the edge of her consciousness…

There! She latched on to it, and peeled back the glamour with her mind.

_What was another Nephilim doing here?_ His Marks were strong and dark, just like her own. And he was Marked with runes for protection and battle. Who was this guy?

Old fears rose up in Victoria. _He couldn't have found her._

Could he?

* * *

Kaden drove the car into the garage carefully. It was the Institute's car and he had borrowed it just for this. To investigate the girl.

He hadn't told anyone in the Institute about her, not even Vernon, his mentor. Something told him it would be a bad idea to say anything, and he wanted to look into this on his own. It was his first time doing anything of real interest since he got here. Kaden was curious.

She was looking at him carefully, but so far the glamour seemed to have held up against her. He had used powerful Masking runes that would take a while to wear off, and he kept a straight face. Kaden got out of the car and back over to the desk, putting the keys down and pulling out his wallet.

Up close he could see she was pretty, with long dark hair, a tan undertone to her skin and clear hazel eyes. Pieces of hair hung around her face, escaped from her messy pony tail. The cut above her left eyebrow had been mostly healed, but it was still a faint pink puckered line. She stood confidently, like she was always in her element, but her lips were pressed in a thin line as she told him the price and he paid. He still wasn't sure what he had been expecting, or even the real reason why he'd done this at all.

"What's your name?" he asked as she took the credit card and ran it through. She looked at him warily.

"Maria," she said flatly, reaching to the side to grab his receipt.

"How long have you worked here?" He hoped he sounded like he was merely a passively curious customer. She turned on him, eyes narrowed.

"I've done nothing wrong," she said abruptly, though he saw the flicker in her eyes that told him it wasn't true. "So what business does the Clave have with me?" _Crap_, Kaden thought. She knew he was a Shadowhunter. But how? He scrambled for a response.

"Nothing," he said hastily. "I was just curious." There was a long pause.

"Your car will be ready by Wednesday," she finally said, her face as closed off as she could make it. Kaden nodded, turned on his heel, and walked away.

Victoria let out the breath she'd been holding as soon as he was out of sight. She had lied through her teeth when she said she'd done nothing wrong. She was breaking Covenant Law just by being a rogue Shadowhunter, unregistered with the Clave on this side of the world. In Europe, she had no idea what happened to her records. Her numerous dealings with Downworlders, if only in cars, was enough to condemn her, not to mention her time on the streets that nearly ended up with time in a mundie jail…

It only made her feel slightly better that she hadn't given him her real name. Granted, it was her middle name, but nobody knew that. Nobody but a single person whom she never wanted to see again. She fingered the silver bracelet on her left wrist nervously, tugging at the solid chain, the linked rings inscribed with specific runes.

But this boy knew what and where she was. Her only comfort was that it seemed like he hadn't really known what he was doing.

Victoria jerked back to the present, wearily pressing the button to close the garage and cleaning up her tools. She was exhausted. It had been a hard night. She only got a couple hours of sleep after the fight, and it was catching up to her. But she still had dinner to make and dishes to clean and homework to help Jacob with when he got home. Sometimes she felt too young for all this responsibility.

Closing the shop, she made herself a cup of steaming coffee, heaping sugar and milk in the cup and stirring. It warmed her up and relaxed her shoulders as she sipped, watching the wind whistle down the street outside.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 – Roma**

"I told you to leave me alone. You know I'm not in the business anymore."

"But you still owe me, Roma," the man sneered. He was only a little older than Victoria, with the bloodshot eyes of an addict, his clothes reeking of street life. She didn't say anything, because he was right. She owed him money. She'd been addicted once, too. Her hand tightened on the knife in her pocket. Addiction made you desperate enough to do anything.

"I know," she finally said quietly, hating herself and her past life. She couldn't seem to outrun it, or bury it deep enough. She'd made horrible decisions without thinking of the consequences, and now she was paying for it. But she'd be damned if Jacob paid for it too. "Listen, give me a couple days and I'll have your money."

"That's what you said last time," he said, getting up in her face. "And then you _disappeared_. So this time, I ain't takin' no for an answer." He shoved her back against the wall. "Money, _now_."

"Don't touch me," she snarled, shoving him back off of her. The pendant around his neck swung. She stood tall and straight, eyes blazing. She'd been the leader of the gang for a reason, and he knew it. He called her by a shortened form of her last name, because that's all she ever went by in those days. She had been fearsome. She still was.

"_Leave_," she growled, and he swallowed visibly.

"You're pushin' it, Roma," he said, backing away. "You'll regret this!" He trudged down the alley and out onto the street, shoulders hunched against the cold. There was a day when Derek had been a nice guy, but that seemed like so long ago. Victoria sighed, turning and walking back into the house.

She shut the door as quietly as she could behind her, trying not to wake Jacob. This was not the first time old gang members hassled her for money. But it was money she didn't have, money she couldn't give. Vic needed it, for herself and for Jacob. She'd managed to elude them so far, but it was getting difficult, especially since she settled down with Jacob on the far side of the city.

"Who was that?"

Victoria jumped violently, looking up. She hadn't heard him at all, but he was standing in the kitchen, looking at her guardedly.

"It's one in the morning, Jake! What are you doing still up?" She dodged his question. She refused drag him into this.

"Why'd he want money from you?"

"It was nothing," she insisted.

"Was it that guy…?"

"_What _guy?" she asked, looking at him sharply. There was something about the way he began the question that made her uneasy. How much did he remember about the time they spent on the streets? It wasn't the kind of thing easily forgotten. But could he know about…

_No. it had only happened once, and he was young,_ she convinced herself. He looked at her uncertainly. "Never mind," he muttered.

"Goodnight Jacob," she said, her voice final.

"Night."

* * *

Wednesday morning Kaden set out to pick up the car from the shop. It was seven in the morning; much too early, but he left anyway. He got there in time to see a young boy leave through the back door. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, walking with his head down.

"Jacob!" The boy looked up, back at the building. Maria was leaning out the door, barefoot. "You forgot your textbook!" The boy walked back, thanking Maria. She smiled and sent him off. After shoving the text in his backpack, he started to say something, but stopped abruptly.

That's when Kaden realized that Maria was looking right at him. Her gaze was piercing. She looked away after a moment, back at Jacob. Kaden turned his back, melting into the shadow of an alley. Pulling out his stele, he drew a Listening rune on his arm. It would be better on his neck, underneath his ear, but he would need a mirror for that. Still, when he focused their voices became clear, like they were talking right beside him.

"About last night…" It was the boy's voice.

"Don't worry about it, Jacob," she said firmly.

"I just wanted to tell you I heard a noise in the garage. That's why I got up. It woke me up," he said.

"Oh. Thanks," she replied. "I'll check it out." There was the sound of the rustle of clothing, and Kaden assumed they hugged.

"See you later."

"Have a good day at school, Jake."

Kaden listened to the boy walk away, and then it was quiet. It sounded like Maria hadn't moved. He risked a glance. She was looking right at him again, her expression inscrutable. They stayed like that for an agonizing minute, eyes locked, before she turned and walked back inside.

* * *

Victoria almost went for her drawer of knives again.

The boy was standing across the street from her house, and this time he hadn't bothered to glamour his Marks. It worried her. Had the Clave been notified of her presence? Were she and Jacob safe? But all her questions stemmed from one: who was that boy?

She walked into the garage, a shiver passing through her as she flipped the light switch. _It's freezing in here,_ she thought as she leaned down to turn on the space heater. She knew immediately that someone had broken in. Her stomach twisted uneasily. The air felt… disturbed. That and the fact that the window over her desk was shattered, cold air spilling in. It must have happened when she was talking to Derek last night; so that's what Jacob heard. Derek must have had friends who'd wanted some money too.

She cleaned up the broken glass, grabbing a piece of plywood from the back of the shop and hammering it over the gaping hole. Still, something else didn't feel right. She searched the shop, but nothing seemed out of place. Strange, how careful the robbers had been.

Amidst her searching, there was a knock on the door. Her hand went to her pocket, secure around the small blade she kept there. And then she cautiously opened the door.

It was the boy. He looked exactly the same as last time.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. He knew she'd seen him. "I'm here to pick up my car." With a start Vic realized it was Wednesday. But she had no time for games. She stepped outside, forcing him to move back, and closed the door behind her.

"What does the Clave want with me?" she asked, her voice low.

"N-nothing," he said, looking kind of nervous. "Really."

"Then why are you here?"

"I… I saw you fighting," he finally admitted. "In the tunnels." Victoria bit down hard on her lip. _Shit_. She'd needed the money to pay the rent, as business had been slow that month. Now she regretted it. She opened her mouth and then closed it. There was nothing she could say in her defence if he had seen her.

"I'm not going to report you," he said quickly, seeing the look on her face.

"Why?" she demanded. The Law required it. He just shrugged.

She stared at him. Could she trust him? She shuddered to think of what would happen if he did report her. She would have no warning, not unless she picked up and left right now, which was something she was extremely reluctant to do. She had settled so nicely here, made a life for herself and Jake, and now it could get all torn away.

But strangely enough, he actually seemed sincere. She shook her head, wondering if she was going to regret what she was about to do.

"What's your name?"

"Kaden."

"Well Kaden, your car's ready. Come inside."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 – Rogue**

Kaden followed Maria into the mechanics shop. There were tools strewn about in what seemed to him like organized chaos. Two cars sat in the garage, other than his. One had the hood propped up; the other was jacked a few feet off the ground.

She moved with ease through the cramped space, pulling up her hair and rolling up her sleeves smoothly as she walked over to his car. Kaden wondered about her change of heart. He had tried to convince that he wouldn't report her, even as he decided it himself. Why get the Clave involved needlessly? It was kind of fun having his own private little investigation, if it could even be called that.

He watched as Maria opened the hood and leaned in, casting a gaze over the engine with a keen expert's eye. There was something different about the garage, a change since the last time he'd been here only a few days ago. Not something visible. It was odd, but he didn't think much of it.

"Yup, it's all good," Maria was saying, drawing his attention back to her. She looked at Kaden. "You have a very nice car."

"It's the Institute's," he replied, somewhat sheepishly.

"How many Shadowhunters are at the Institute right now?" she asked.

"Right now there's just me and my mentor," he said. "A few others come and go, but there hasn't been much demon activity in the city."

She nodded, her expression one of thought. She spoke cordially, easily, like this was a casual conversation between friends.

"Maria," he began, and it felt strange to say her first name, almost too intimate. "Why don't you live at the Institute? There's no record of you ever having even been there." Kaden had checked. She sighed and closed the hood, looking away and then back at him.

"I'm a rogue, what did you think?"

"A rogue?"

"I left the Clave."

"You… ran away?"

"Yes," she said softly, looking down at her hands. "I ran away." Kaden didn't say anything, and neither did she for a long time. Then she stood abruptly, her face hard and closed. She jerked her head towards the car. "Take it," she said. "It's done."

* * *

When a Shadowhunter leaves the Clave – an extremely rare and radical occurrence – they are supposed to leave the life of Shadowhunting. Of course, they can't change the blood in their veins, the blood of the Angel Raziel, but everything else must be given up.

Victoria couldn't bear to do it. She stole weapons and gear, and kept her stele. She hung dog tags around her neck engraved with runes so she wouldn't _ever_ forget. She hadn't wanted to run. It was fear and anger and desperation that had driven her across the Atlantic Ocean, away from her home.

She watched as the sleek black sports car disappeared around the corner, feeling just as lost as she had when she first arrived in this unfamiliar place.

* * *

"Hey Vic!" Victoria turned, wiping her greasy fingers on a rag and tossing it to the side as Jacob swung in through the door to the garage. She had been working on a vampire's bike, destroyed by a hasty landing too close to sunrise. It seemed sometimes even the vamps lost track of time and forgot their bikes ran on demon energies.

Jacob wasn't alone.

"Mind if my friends come over?" he asked, slightly breathless from running. Two other boys were with him, seeming unsure whether to stare in awe at her or the bike. She smiled slightly.

"No problem, Jake." He grinned.

"Can you show them the car?" he asked eagerly.

"Of course," she said, smiling fully now. It made her happy to see him happy and with friends, unashamed to bring them to their tiny, not-very-impressive home.

"Guys, you've got to see this…" Vic heard Jacob say as she walked over to the sleek shape low to the ground in the far corner of a garage covered by a sheet. In one smooth movement she pulled it off and revealed the car beneath. Streamlined and aggressive, it was painted shiny black and had darkly tinted windows. A very rich warlock had commissioned her to ramp up the engine power and a few other more magical tweaks, and was paying her handsomely.

"Want to go for a ride?"

"_Really?"_ Jake exclaimed, ecstatic. Vic rarely ever drove clients' vehicles, much less let Jacob ride with her.

"Just this once," she said, pulling the keys off the hook and sliding into the driver's seat. The boys got in eagerly. She started it up, feeling the car purr beneath her and then growl when she touched the gas. She shifted it into gear and pulled out of the garage, accelerating insanely fast and spinning out onto the road. The boys shrieked with laughter.

They drove around downtown for about an hour, and Victoria had had a permanent smile on her face along with the boys. They were all breathless when they finally pulled in to the garage again. When they piled out, Victoria hung the keys back on the hook and put the sheet back over the car.

"Thanks so much Vic! That was awesome!" Jacob exclaimed.

"Yeah, thanks!" his friends added.

"No problem, guys. I'm glad you enjoyed it." She ruffled Jacob's hair. "Anyone want a snack?" As Victoria pulled out a bag of chips, she grinned as she overheard Jacob and his friends talking.

"So she's your sister?"

"Yeah." Jacob replied.

"She's so cool!"

"Man, she's hot too." Victoria rolled her eyes. Boys were all the same. Even thirteen-year-old boys.

"Here you go," she said, setting the chips in a bowl on the table and three cans of Coke. Jacob looked sheepish; he knew she'd heard. But Vic just winked at him and said, "I'll be in the garage if you need anything." She needed to finish working on that vamp's bike; there was so much still to do and he was going to pick it up tonight.

But she did the work with a light heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5 - Maria**

"I'm going for a walk." Victoria pulled on her coat. Night had fallen, but she felt too restless to sit still, or sleep for that matter. "Jake?" Peering into the bedroom, she saw he was fast asleep, sprawled across the bed. She smiled, walking in and pulling the covers up to his chin. "I'll be back later," she said quietly, even though she knew he wouldn't hear her.

The streets were cold and dark, but she felt very alive as she made her way through the maze of alleys. She breathed in the night air, feeling only slight unsurprised disappointment that the stars were invisible this deep in the city. She just let her feet carry her without thought.

The glamour was as easy to tear through as tissue paper, though to mundanes it was impossible. Victoria found herself gazing upward at the spires of the Toronto Institute, reaching into the heavens. She'd only been here once before, when she first arrived in Canada. And just the same as tonight, she'd turned away from the doors and walked away in the dark, uncertain what brought her there in the first place.

Vic started on her way home, taking a shortcut through an alley, the brick walls seeming to seep cool air into the already cold night. Suddenly she could see her breath, a thin mist in front of her as the temperature dropped dramatically. She slowed her steps, ghosting down the alleyway in silence. Something wasn't right.

"Maria?" She heard her middle name being called behind her and whirled around, just in time to see a shape explode from the shadows.

There were only two people in this world that knew her middle name. Her heart clenched when she heard it spoken, even as she realized it was Kaden who had spoken it. But that was lost over the fact that Ileum demon's bony claws were lashing out.

It had a humanoid shape morphed with the body of some kind of large cat. White as snow, its hiss sounded like the crackle of ice. A wave of frigid air followed the stench of decay that was filling the alley as it lurched with impossible agility towards Victoria.

She scrambled back with a cry, reaching for the only weapon she had with her, a small silver blade in her boot. It would do her little good against the thing. She ducked away, and it slid with a hair-raising screech against the brick wall. She could feel her pulse beating in her throat.

Kaden was frozen, wide-eyed, an unnamed seraph blade in hand.

"Kaden!" Vic shouted. "Kill it!" Kaden looked at her frantically.

"I don't know how!"

"WHAT? _You're a Shadowhunter, for god's sake!_ How can you not know how?" She was dodging the demon's swipes, and it roared in frustration. It turned, whipping around and lunging.

"_Kaden!"_ Victoria screamed, but it was too late. The demon was on him, knocking him to the ground and digging in its claws. The seraph blade skittered out of his grip and across the pavement. Victoria threw herself forward.

"Ithuriel!" The blade burst to life in her hand and she slashed the demon across its back. It fell to the side, shrieking angrily, but she was already on it. She plunged the blade hilt-deep into its chest, piercing one of its three hearts. Vic watched as it folded in on itself, disappearing back to its own dimension, leaving nothing but claw marks gouged on the brick wall of the alley. Breathing hard, she fell to her knees beside Kaden.

"Kaden," she choked on his name, catching her breath. He was slumped on his side, and she could see blood spreading across his shoulder, drenching his torn jacket. He pushed up on his good arm, gasping and gritting his teeth.

"Stop," Vic ordered, pulling out her stele. She drew an _iratze_, but there was no affect. The rune faded away, and the blood kept spreading, soaking through the knees of her jeans from where it pooled on the floor. It was not only a deadly flesh wound, but poison tipped the razor-sharp claws of the Ileum demon, which made the injury very difficult to heal. She could see Kaden was deathly pale, even in the darkness.

"Come on," she said gently, helping him to his feet.

"I-I'm fine," he said, trying to steady himself, looking embarrassed.

"You've never killed a demon before, have you?" she asked. He looked away. Vic felt him shiver as he leaned against her. She knew the poison would spread quickly and his body would begin to shut down just as a human body with hypothermia would. She had to act fast.

"The shop is just around the corner," she assured him, receiving a vague response. His feet were dragging by the time they made it to her door, and Victoria was carrying most of his weight. I good hard kick had the door open and the two of them staggering inside. Kaden was stiff and Victoria could feel that his body temperature was much too low.

He tried to say something but she shushed him and pushed him gently down on the couch. He lay down, and in the light she could see just how unnaturally pale he was, all blood seeming to be drained from his normally golden complexion. His lips were tinged blue and he was shivering uncontrollably.

Working fast, Victoria pulled off his jacket and then his shirt, leaving him in just his jeans and boots despite his small cry of protest. She ignored the strong, dark Marks that were surprisingly sexy on his toned body and grabbed bandages from underneath the kitchen sink while simultaneously turning up the heat on the thermostat. She cleaned and bound the wound, but knew that it would not be enough.

"Victoria?"

"Jake," she barked. "Get me the blue bottle in the top cupboard over the stove." Jacob stood and stared at the boy bleeding on the couch and her blood-stained clothes, looking as though he'd just woken up, which he probably had. _"Hurry!"_

Jacob jumped into action, bringing her the bottle from the place Vic used to keep the useful things Downworlders traded her for her services. "Powerful healing magic, you must drink," the faerie had said in his stunted English when he'd given it to her in exchange for a new paint job on his car, which was made entirely of wood and vines, running on some kind of faery magic. He had told her he was an inventor.

"And a blanket too," Victoria added as she unstopped the bottle with a hollow _pop_. Jacob turned to get one from the bedroom as she grabbed Kaden's chin and opened his mouth. He had stopped shivering, which was bad; his body was giving up. Kaden swallowed a couple of drops of the cobalt blue liquid reflexively before gagging. She ruthlessly forced him to keep drinking. "I'm saving your life, you moron," she muttered under her breath.

"Here." Jacob held out the blanket and she laid it across Kaden, who was already, albeit very slowly, regaining some colour. Jacob was sitting in a kitchen chair when Victoria stood. She'd done all that she could for Kaden. Now _he_ had to fight.

Victoria sunk in a seat next to Jacob, rubbing her face.

"Who is he?" Jacob asked.

"Another Shadowhunter. His name's Kaden," Vic replied. Jake opened his mouth to ask another question, but Victoria cut him off. "Go to bed, Jacob. We'll talk in the morning."

She sounded so weary that the young boy didn't say another word.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6 – Friends**

"What happened, Vic?"

"There was a demon attack nearby."

"What were you doing out?" Jacob's brows were furrowed, a concerned expression on his face that was much too mature for his age, in Victoria's opinion.

"I went for a walk. Jacob, this is what a Shadowhunter is trained to do. I was fine."

"_He_ doesn't look fine."

"He… he'll be okay." Jacob looked sceptical. "Just go to school, Jake. Don't worry about it." Jacob nodded but didn't say anything, walking past her and into the bedroom to grab his backpack.

"See you later Jacob." Wordlessly and unexpectedly, Jacob hugged her tightly. Victoria was surprised by the emotion it brought to her eyes.

"See you, Vic."

"Bye."

* * *

Kaden's shoulder hurt. The ghost of the feeling of agonizingly cold ice in his veins shivered through him as he pried his eyelids open. He was lying on a lumpy couch in an unfamiliar room. That's when a door across the room opened, and she walked in.

"So, you're finally awake."

"Maria!" he exclaimed, and it all came back to him. The demon – the shame. What kind of Shadowhunter was he? He had stood there while the demon attacked her in the alley. What was wrong with him?

How could he explain that he'd never really experienced life outside of the Brazil Institute where he'd lived and the few times he'd visited Idris? He had no practical experience, only training. And when the time had come to use it, he had blanked. He tried to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come.

She froze in her tracks.

"My name's not Maria," she said with a sudden fierceness. "Don't call me that."

"You – what?"

"My name is Victoria," she said. "Don't call me Maria." There was a long pause of silence. "I'm sorry Kaden," she said quietly. "How do you feel?" Kaden's head spun as he tried to make sense of this new information.

"I'm… fine. Why didn't you tell me your real name?" He struggled to sit up, but a spike of pain ran through his shoulder and it gave out on him; he fell back with a gasp. "The demon…"

"Don't move," she said, walking quickly over to him. It was then that he realized he was shirtless and his shoulder was bandaged. Her fingers moved gently, pulling back the bandages and inspecting the wound. Pulling out her stele, she drew an _iratze_ and watched as the healing gashes began to close further.

"The poison is pretty much out of your system," she informed him, sitting back.

"Thank you," he managed to say. The _iratze_ helped clear his head, and slowly he was able to focus. She sighed when she saw his expectant, questioning gaze.

"I didn't tell you my first name because I didn't trust you," she said softly. "Maria is my middle name," she added. Her head was bent, and she looked up at him through her lashes. "I'm sorry." He sat up this time with only a small ache in his shoulder.

"That's okay," he said. "That's… understandable. But why do you correct me now?" He narrowed his eyes at her. _No more secrets._

"I… I don't know," she said. Then, so quietly he could barely hear it, she said, "Because I couldn't stand for you to call me that. For anyone else to call me that." Something in her eyes told Kaden he would never get his wish. There would always be secrets.

* * *

Victoria forced Kaden to sit while she worked. He walked over to the chair at her desk in her workshop, feeling sore though he tried to hide it. He refused to stay lying on the couch.

"What happened to your window?" he asked as she rolled under a car.

"Oh, that was like that the last time you were here," she said. "Just some guys trying to break in."

"Didn't you have Protection runes?" Kaden asked. A clang came from under the car, along with a loud curse in a foreign language. Victoria rolled out, getting to her feet and stalking over to the window swiftly, her expression twisted into a scowl.

"I did have a Protection rune," she muttered, scrutinizing the wall beneath the window. "Someone removed it. Who…?"

She had assumed it was Derek's buddies that had broken the window, looking for money. But maybe it had been someone else, looking for something else. Or Derek had made some new friends… that thought was alarming.

Kaden watched as she walked back into the main house and walk out again with a thick leather-bound book. Kaden caught a glimpse as she opened it and rifled through the thin pages.

"Is that a copy of the Gray book?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah," she said distractedly, finding the page she wanted and pulling out her stele.

"Where did you get that?" Kaden asked. There were only so many copies of the book, inked onto special paper that could handle the power of the Marks. She smirked.

"I've got some connections," was all she said. Kaden watched as she drew the rune, and the force of it was like a phantom punch in the gut. The Mark she drew on the wall was like a plate of steel reinforcing the whole building; he could sense it.

"There," she said, satisfied, tucking the Gray book back in the space under a loose floor tile and walking back into the shop and sliding back underneath the car she was currently working on.

"So Kaden, we're you from?" she asked.

They talked for a long time as she worked, exchanging stories. Kaden spoke mostly of his childhood in Brazil, his training as a Shadowhunter, and how he got here in Canada. Victoria was a good listener, and enthusiastically shared all kinds of stories of customers and her job. Kaden noticed she didn't speak much of her personal life. He didn't want to pry, but he was very curious.

Eventually the conversation lulled, and Kaden began to doze off in his chair. He didn't realize he was falling asleep until he heard her voice. Soft, sweet, and quiet, singing in a language he didn't understand, but recognized as Italian. He opened his eyes and blinked away his blurry vision. Her long chestnut hair was down, and when she turned he saw that her eyes were wet.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with a start, furiously scrubbing her face. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"You have a beautiful voice," he murmured. She smiled slightly, almost sadly.

"Thank you," she whispered. She cleared her throat. "C'mon, I can tell you're tired. Sleep; I'll lend you the bed."

"Oh no, I really couldn't stay another night–" He struggled to protest, his thoughts feeling slow and thick.

"Kaden, just stay. You're not better yet. You can go back to the Institute tomorrow." Her voice was soothing, and he was so tired that he found himself nodding.

"Thank you," he said as she showed him the bedroom.

"No problem," she said quietly, leaving him to sleep. "Get some rest."

In the next room over he could hear Victoria humming softly. Exhausted, Kaden drifted off to the sound of her voice.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7 – The Devil's Mark**

Jacob had walked deep downtown looking for a job and he'd stopped outside this café place. It was on the fringes of the shady parts of town, and word at school was that age restrictions didn't matter much down here.

He needed to make some money, thirteen years old or not. Victoria needed help. He saw the bills and he witnessed how many hours she worked tirelessly to pay them and pay for everything else, including his schooling. Jacob knew money was tight; he wasn't a child anymore who didn't understand.

"Strange place for such a young warlock to be." Jacob turned and found himself facing a dirty-blonde-haired, muddy-blue-eyed girl. She had a tiny frame and a narrow face, stick-thin and wearing baggy pants and a tight hoodie. She was shorter than him, but had a tough, wiry look about her that made him nervous.

"You don't look any older than me," Jacob shot back automatically. "And what the hell are you talking about?" She smirked.

"You don't know what you are?"

"I know what a warlock is, and I know I'm not one," he said. Experience with Victoria's customers taught him how to recognize Downworlders. He narrowed his eyes. Was this girl a Downworlder? She looked mundane, but then how could she know about the Downworld if she was just human? Then again, so was he, and he knew.

"Yes you are. Your powers just haven't shown yet," she replied. She walked forward until she was in front of him. "C'mon, let's see if you've got _the Devil's mark_." Her fingers grabbed at the hem of his shirt before he could stop her, dragging it up, her nails scratching his bare stomach before her palm skated across. "See, no belly button–"

"Jetty!" The girl turned, letting go of Jacob's shirt as he jerked back. _What was she doing?_ In broad daylight too! And what was she talking about? He touched his flat stomach. What was a belly button?

Two guys walked up, appearing from around the corner of an alley behind the coffee shop.

"Jet!" one of the men called again, closing in.

"Yeah," she replied, her eyes on Jacob. At the last second she turned to the two men. One was a nervous-looking red-head fingering a silver pendant around his neck, the other a tall broad black guy. The tall man jerked his head, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."

Neither of them paid Jacob any attention, but Jetty's eyes slid back over to him one last time before she walked away, skinny hips swaying and a strip of her back visible where the sweater rode up. Jacob watched them leave, still touching the hem of his shirt.

* * *

Jacob knew Victoria wouldn't like the fact that he went to get a job; if he had told her anything about his plan in the first place he knew she would have forced him not to, insisting that they were fine. But Jacob was determined to help, whether she liked it or not.

It had been a hassle. The owner was a hulking, jiggling fat guy with beady eyes that watched Jacob like a hawk as Jacob proved he could pour coffee. The huge man's double chin bulged as he managed to stare down disapprovingly at Jake, who wasn't that much shorter than him.

But Jacob had still managed to get the job; he would be paid $8.50 an hour. It was below the minimum wage, but then again, he was below the minimum working age. He was proud of himself for doing it. At the end of every week he'd get a paycheque. It had occurred to him on the way home that he would have a hard time finding a way to give Vic the money without her knowing, but he assured himself that he'd figure it out.

But what was really bothering him was that street girl, and what she had said. She had unnerved him. And she'd called him a warlock. But… that was impossible. He'd never done anything remotely magical in his life! And a belly button…

What the hell was a _belly button?_

* * *

Victoria had closed the shop hours ago and Jacob's school day ended a few hours ago as well. He still wasn't home.

She was pacing the small length of the kitchen when he arrived. He walked in nonchalantly, dropping his bag in the corner and greeting her with a "Hey."

Vic opened her mouth, taking a deep breath, and then let it out in a gust.

"Where have you been?" she asked, making her voice calm. He shrugged.

"Just out with some friends."

Victoria tried not to be infuriated. She had been worried, but he was a growing boy and probably wanted some space and independence. Wasn't that what she had wanted at his age? Of course, she'd learned the meaning of those things hard way.

"Okay," she said. "Just warn me next time."

"Sure," he said with another shrug, sounding noncommittal. She just set dinner down on the table in front of him and let it go.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8 – Feeling**

When Kaden woke up for the second time since the attack, he felt so much better. The ache in his shoulder was nearly gone, and his whole body felt rested and refreshed. He pulled back the covers of the creaky bed and stretched, the springs squeaking. He used the bathroom briefly, washing his face in the chipped porcelain sink.

He gazed at his reflection in the mirror for a moment, seeing a face that was the only familiar thing for him that reminded him of home in this country. His mouth twisted and he looked away.

The house was kind of shabby, he noticed again. Everything was fairly neat and clean, but nothing was new. Still, he could sense Victoria had really made a home for herself here. He winced when he saw her bloody clothes in the laundry hamper in the corner, the shame of that night washing over him again. He forced himself to look at the bloody knees of her jeans crumpled in the basket, torturing himself with the sight of it. _How could I have just stood there?_ He _needed_ to be a better Shadowhunter. How could he claim any right to his lineage if he couldn't even kill a minor demon?

Stepping over the basket also made him realize how cramped it was in here. Just having one extra person must have made it that much more difficult for her, even for one night.

Not feeling as good as he had when he woke up, Kaden stepped out of the bedroom. He was immediately bombarded by the scent of frying breakfast foods. Victoria was at the stove, a hand on her hip. She looked entirely out of place, like a strange parody of a housewife. He almost laughed out loud when she pulled out a large knife and cleaved an apple in two with one swing.

But what caught Kaden's attention was the young boy slumped at the small round kitchen, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Kaden recognized him. It was the boy that left this house the day he came to pick up the car, the boy she'd called back to get a textbook while Kaden listened in. Jacob was his name, if Kaden recalled correctly. He was confirmed when Victoria spoke.

"Jacob, do you want sausages or bacon, or both?"

"Both _please_," he said enthusiastically, perking up. Victoria turned with a sizzling frying pan in hand.

"Oh, Kaden!" she exclaimed with pleasant, light-hearted surprise. "You're up! How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, thank you," he said, almost bemused by her formalities after hearing the way she spoke in the shop yesterday, all rough and unrestricted. Jacob was scrutinizing him now, making Kaden feel kind of awkward. That is, until Victoria said, "Come, please, sit down," with as much grace as she could muster. A smile twitched at her lips as she pulled out a chair for him, and he felt himself smile in response. She was making a joke.

"Why yes, of course," he accepted elegantly, taking a seat.

"On the menu today we have a platter of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, and toast, with a side of potatoes, a fruit bowl, and a glass of milk," she said as she placed everything on the table. The spread was amazing, and smelled mouth-watering.

"Thank you," he said before putting more meaning in his tone, trying to thank her for more than the breakfast. _"Really."_

"No problem," she said, smiling. "Really."

"If you two are done, I'd like my breakfast," Jacob broke in, interrupting their eye contact.

"Yeah, I got it, Jake. Don't bother getting your lazy ass up," Vic muttered as she turned away, still a bit pissed off about his disappearing act the night before. But she was also hiding her blush as she walked back over to the stove. What was she doing, flirting with Kaden? So they'd become friends yesterday, sure. But that didn't mean…

Oh, what did it matter? The last sliver of doubt left that he would report her was gone. She trusted this boy, even though she knew she probably shouldn't.

"Here you go," she said, setting the plate down in front of Jacob.

"Thanks, Vic," he said, so appreciatively that she couldn't help but smile at the boy, though she sighed at the same time. She ruffled his hair as he dug in, and then sat down with her own plate. She noticed with surprise that Kaden was waiting for her to begin, like a true gentleman.

She just grinned and said, "Bon appetite!"

* * *

Kaden stayed around after Jacob left for school, insisting on helping Victoria clean up the breakfast dishes. He ended up staying all day, actively helping in her shop. Business was slow, and Vic found herself laughing so hard that her eyes watered as she lay limply on her back underneath the fancy warlock's car.

Before she knew it, it was mid-afternoon, past closing time. Victoria closed up the shop, and turned to face Kaden. He was watching Vic from the main room as she shut the shop door behind her.

"You have to go home," she stated. It was obvious; he'd been at her house for three days. But she didn't like how his parting made her somehow… disappointed. They'd been having so much fun, getting along so well. And Kaden wasn't too bad with cars, though she'd had to correct him more than once.

"I have to go," he repeated, something flickering behind his eyes. Victoria realized he wasn't calling the Institute home. He stepped forward, hesitating for a moment before reaching out and hugging her. She wrapped her arms around him, and it felt… natural. She never thought that after _him_ she would ever feel like… this, and she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Goodbye," Kaden said into her hair before letting go and turning away. He was out the door before she could respond, though an unbidden, unwanted question remained on her lips.

"_When will I see you again?"_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9 – Hunting**

Victoria was walking back from the grocery store when she felt it. The streets were darkening, shadows lengthening as dusk fell before the streetlights flickered to life. The traffic was strangely light on the roads, not very many people walking down the sidewalk. The harsh northern wind coming off the water blew right through her coat and Vic shivered.

It was the crawling feeling of something inhuman nearby. She liked to call it her built-in Sensor, but now was not the time to joke. She paid close attention to her surroundings as she walked, the cold air burning her cheeks.

Movement in an alley across the street caught her eye, and she was immediately on guard. But the shape was human, and when she peered closer she realized she recognized the slim form and ruffled coffee-bean-coloured dark brown hair.

Kaden looked up straight at her as if he'd felt her eyes on him. Victoria could see dark Marks curling up on his neck, peeking over the collar of his jacket. The corner of his mouth curled up, and he crossed the street with quick strides of his long legs. She watched, and recognized the natural Shadowhunter grace in each step.

"Hey Kaden," she said, smiling a bit.

"Hello Victoria," he replied. She glanced down at what he had in his hands, and almost laughed out loud when she saw what it was. He was holding a Sensor. His face was very serious, and she could tell he was nervous.

"You should go," he said. "There's a lot of activity around this building. It's not safe."

"Let me see," she said, taking the Sensor from him. She whistled. "You're right. That's _really_ not safe." She paused. "Give me a blade."

"What?"

"Give me a weapon. There's no way you're walking into this on your own," she said.

"No! I'll call the Institute and they'll take care of it," Kaden replied, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He was a bit embarrassed to have to call in backup, but by the looks of the readings on the Sensor, he didn't want to risk it. Victoria, on the other hand, had other ideas.

"Now where's the fun in that?"

* * *

They crept in through a side door. The place looked normal enough on the outside, just a small apartment building with no more than three floors. The seraph blade in Victoria's hand felt warm and her skin prickled with anticipation.

Kaden walked along beside her, not liking the situation at all. The floor of the lobby was coated in dust and the room was shady. His stomach felt tight and he held his blade in a white-knuckled grip. Victoria, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease.

"Victoria," he began, but she held up a hand to stop his words and listened carefully.

"This way," she said, nodding towards the stairs. They pushed open the doors and walked inside. An arrow on the wall pointed up to the next two floors, while another pointed down to the basement. The air was thick with a cloying sweet scent that Victoria could taste on the back of her tongue. She was on high alert.

Her fingers glided along the wall, and she snapped the creaky light switch up. Florescent lights flickered on, illuminating the stairwell with a harsh light. Everything in the stairwell was white. Kaden blinked as his eyes adjusted.

"Which way–?" Intuition was already guiding Vic upstairs, and Kaden didn't bother to finish his sentence as he followed after her. He put his hand on the banister and then pulled it away quickly with a low noise of disgust. There were sticky white strands coating it. Even his shoes were sticking to the floor.

"I know," Vic said as they climbed up. "I'm not sure what it is, but…" She froze in her tracks, Kaden forced to come to a halt behind her as they reached the first landing.

"Why did you stop…?" Kaden trailed off when he saw what she was looking at.

It was an enormous nest, clinging to the wall at the top corner near the ceiling. It was made of the same sticky, filmy white stuff that covered everything. Strands of it stretched across the walls, thick trails. The smell was overpowering. There were dark shapes inside, _things_ moving and writhing slowly.

"_Elijah_," Victoria said firmly, and her blade burst to life. She advanced steadily on the nest.

"Victoria, _are you insane?_" Kaden hissed.

"They have to be killed," she replied steadily. "Before they're born." Part of Kaden admired her, and the other part was freaking out. "Cover my back," she called to him. Kaden looked around, but the stairs were empty. He looked back just in time to see her plunging the blade into the mass at one of the dark shapes and yanking it back out sharply. A thin green liquid gushed out of the gash, spilling across the white floor with a splash of colour.

Suddenly Kaden heard an unnerving skittering sound behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he whirled around.

The thing was hideous. It looked like a giant mutated spider, with a bulbous back end and multiple legs, covered in bristling hairs. The noise he heard was the sound of it scuttling across the floor. Its cluster of eyes was an opaque red, and when it opened its mouth and hissed Kaden could see the fangs. It stood there, swaying on its feet ever so slightly, like it was sizing him up. Kaden swallowed hard.

"Victoria, we have a problem," Kaden said, not taking his eyes of the beast.

"I'm a little busy at the moment!" she called back with a grunt, and Kaden could hear her hacking away at the nest.

"_Sanvi_," Kaden said quietly, his blade responding instantly. His palms were sweating, but he steeled himself. _I'm a Shadowhunter, this is what I do._

"Shit." Victoria was beside him now, her weapon slick with greenish slime. Some was splattered on her shirt, burning the fabric like acid. "It's an Arachnoid demon." She grabbed the back of his shirt, giving a soft tug as if to say _back away slowly._

"And you jut killed all its babies," Kaden replied as they backed up.

"Shit," Victoria repeated. And then the demon reared up and launched itself at them with an insect hiss. Victoria blocked, knocking a leg aside while Kaden sliced off another. The demon made a screeching sound that gave Kaden goosebumps as it limped to the side, one stumpy leg sliding in its own green blood. It hissed furiously again.

"Look out!" Vic shouted, and Kaden ducked as it jumped. It flew over his head and landed on the wall behind him. Its back end shuddered, puckered, and squeezed out a jet of the same filmy white stuff that the nest was made out of, the sticky stuff all over the place.

Victoria slammed into him with a cry, both of them tumbling down to the sticky floor, narrowly avoid the stream.

"Kill it, Kaden. You can do it. It's in you, in your blood," Victoria spoke the words in his ear, her voice rough and breathy before she rolled off of him. Kaden scrambled to his feet as the Arachnoid demon prepared itself again, his instinctive training kicking in. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he could feel his heart pumping in overdrive, loud in his ears.

His aim was perfect. His knife buried itself straight into the demon's back end, right where the sticky silk was coming out of. It screeched again and dropped off the wall, but by then Kaden had grabbed another blade from his belt. He brought it down with all his strength, a war cry escaping his lips, lodging the weapon in the spider-demon's head. Burst eyeballs leaked milky red fluid as it twitched and shuddered, folding in on itself before it disappeared back to its home dimension.

Silence spread in the moments that followed as Kaden tried to catch his breath. He could hear Victoria panting behind him until she suddenly laughed.

"Kaden," she gasped. "I didn't know you had it in you." He chuckled, relief flooding over him.

"Me either," he replied. He turned to face her. He was unable to hold back his grin, and Victoria grinned right back.

A wet thud from above had them both on their feet, smiles gone. Kaden led the way this time as they climbed the stairs again to the third floor. The landing was covered in huge bundles of white gluey silk, each containing a few dark shapes. Strands of it blanketed all the walls, ceiling and most of the floor. On the floor was a writhing black shape just burst out of the nest above it. It was a baby Arachnoid demon, struggling to break free of its embryonic sac. One slice from Vic's blade cut it in half.

"Looks like we've got a lot more work to do," she said, squinting up at the multiple nests. "Mama Spider's been busy."

"Will there be another grown one?" Kaden asked, though only feeling slightly alarmed.

"Nah," Vic replied. "Female Arachnoids get by all on their own."

"Well then, there's no time to lose," Kaden replied. Feeling empowered and confidant, he swung his blade, ripping open another nest on the wall.

By the time they stumbled out of the building, they were filthy. Soaked in sticky silk and stinging green spider-demon blood, panting from the workout, and satisfied with a job well done.

Kaden walked all the way home in the dark and in the cold, but nothing could dampen his spirits. Even as snowflakes drifted down, soft and downy white in the silent street, he revelled in the feeling. _I did it._ Victoria had believed in him, and now he believed in himself. He would no longer doubt himself.

He was a Shadowhunter and damn proud of it.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10 – Not Human**

"Vic, what's a belly button?" The dish from dinner she was washing clattered in the sink as it slipped out of her hand.

"A belly button?"

"Yeah." Victoria took a breath. In her mind's eye she saw the days they were poorer than poor, walking through one of the rich neighbourhoods on a hot summer day. The sprinklers turned on and they ran across the lawn as the water arched over them. It was so hot that Jacob had taken off his shirt; his skinny, malnourished eleven-year-old body was pale white it the glaring sun, the farmer's tan from constantly wearing his grimy t-shirt very evident.

She could count his ribs and it broke her heart. The delight on his face as they got soaked didn't diminish the ache in her chest. This was just before she decided to travel north with him in search of a better life.

Jacob was leaping through the upward spray of water when she noticed. His stomach was flat and empty. She touched her own stomach in a daze as Jake bound across the perfect green grass, feeling the small indentation that was her belly button. Jacob didn't have one.

Shadowhunter training taught her what that meant. Warlocks always had something that marked them as partially inhuman, the offspring of mortals and demons. In the old days it was sometimes called the Devil's mark. Jacob seemed normal, but he didn't have a belly button, which meant he hadn't been born to a human mother.

But Jacob had never shown signs of having the gift – or curse – of magic, so Victoria had never asked. And now _he_ was asking _her_.

"It's where you were attached to your mom in the womb, by an umbilical cord," she said uncomfortably. "Didn't they teach you this as part of Sex Ed in school?"

"Yeah," Jacob said, looking troubled. He glanced up at Victoria. "Why don't I have one?"

"What, a belly button?" He nodded. "I don't know, Jake," she replied honestly.

"Am I a… a warlock?" he asked hesitantly. She wondered how he had come to that conclusion, but it didn't really surprise her; after all, she'd been the one to teach him how to spot a Downworlder.

"Have you ever made something disappear into thin air?" she asked jokingly, but his face was dead serious.

"Tell me, Victoria. I'm not a kid anymore. I want to know!" he said. Victoria sighed.

"If you were a warlock, you'd be able to use magic. Because you don't, it could mean you're an ifrit, a half-breed warlock who _can't_ use magic. But you don't have the right physical signs of ifrit genes either," she said, her voice clipped and firm, like she was teaching a lesson. The way she thought of it was like ripping off a band aid. It was better he knew quickly and all at once.

But to Jacob, the realization that he wasn't human was like ripping off a band aid and finding a gaping wound that was gushing blood underneath. He went silent, looking down.

"Oh Jacob, its okay," Victoria said soothingly, taking a seat next to him. She slid an arm over his shoulder but he shrugged it off, standing up.

"I'm going out," he muttered, before bolting out the door.

"Jacob!" she called after him, but he didn't stop or even slow, and she let him go. Her heart ached for him; he was her brother. Blood didn't matter, he was family. And to see him hurting… she took a deep breath, gritting her teeth. Vic knew he would need some time to cool off, so she stood up and walked over to the sink to finish washing the dishes.

* * *

Jacob ran down the dark streets, barely pausing as he flew around corners. He _had_ to find her. He just had to.

* * *

"_Back again?" Jacob turned abruptly, finding the same blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl behind him. Jetty, those men had called her. He had been about to walk past her without noticing when she had spoken up. The sight of her still put him slightly on edge. He didn't say a word, just pushed open the door to the dingy café. He was here to work._

_But once his shift was over and he stumbled out of the back door of the hot kitchen, she was still there, leaning against the brick wall of the alley. She grinned at him and said, "Warlock."_

"_Who are you?" he demanded, pushing his sweaty hair off his forehead. She had no right to stand there and call him names._

"_My name's Jetty," she said, "Or Jet for short. What's yours?"_

"_Jacob," he replied, still suspicious. _

"_Well Jacob, how would you like to see my side of the city?" A part of him knew it was a bad idea, but Jacob was curious. She began to walk, and gestured impatiently for him to follow._

"_C'mon…"_

* * *

The day was clear in his memory. They'd spent the entire afternoon together. Jetty was the most interesting girl he'd ever met, much more so than the ones who tried talking to him at school. She was fast-talking and said things he never would have dared out loud, frank and blunt, and sometimes seemed to have no shame.

* * *

"_See this?" she said, pulling up her shirt to show him the tattoo on her hip. It was a strange symbol that he didn't know the meaning of. "This is my gang tattoo," she said. He vaguely remembered seeing the symbol before, but his eyes were drawn away from the ink in her skin to the tiny puckered hole on her exposed stomach. A belly button…_

* * *

Jacob ran harder. He turned down the route he'd walked dozens of times by now, went through shortcuts Jetty had shown him, all the way down to the residential area.

* * *

"_This is my house," she said, pointing to the dilapidated building they stood in front of. It was falling apart, but looked better than a few of the others houses on the street. Jetty seemed proud of it. He waited for her to ask him inside, but she didn't say a word. She just kept walking, calling back to him almost in annoyance._

_"Come on, what are you waiting for?"_

* * *

He stood in front of that same house now, in the dark. Light and music spilled out the windows and doors along with the voices of many people, some of them sitting on the lawn, drinking and smoking. Jacob took a deep breath and walked forward.

The walkway was cracked, weeds pushing through. He marched up the sagging front porch steps and pushed open the door. As he stepped in, he was bombarded by the smell of sweat and alcohol. The party was in full swing.

"Jetty?" he called out hesitantly, treading carefully from room to room, wide-eyed as he took in the scene before him. Everyone was drinking. Some were dancing, laughing and screaming loudly. Girls were scantily-clad, boys watching them with undisguised lust. Jacob's head spun.

"Jetty?" He blinked, breathless. He turned a corner and suddenly, there she was. She was wearing a very short ripped jean mini-skirt and a tight-fitting, low-dropping top. She had three boys around her, and a red plastic cup in hand. She was laughing, looking up at the boys with her strange confidence.

When she caught sight of him, she nearly dropped her cup. "One second," Jacob thought she said to the boys – boys that looked much older than her – and walked over too him. She grabbed his arm and dragged him through the house without a word, out a side door and into the yard at the side of the house. His back hit the crooked wooden fence that separated Jetty's property from the neighbours as she slammed the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" she very nearly hissed at him, tossing her cup in the trash and crossing her arms.

"I'm not human," he said.

There must have been something in his face, or voice, as her whole demeanour changed. She walked towards him, putting her small hands on his shoulders with a surprisingly strong grip. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "I don't care."

It was the last thing Jacob had expected, and then–

She kissed him right on the lips.

It was hard and fast, just the pressure of her mouth against his. It was over just as quickly as it had begun, leaving Jacob dazed and thoughtless, staring down at the girl.

"Go home, Jacob," she said, before turning and walking back into the house.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11 – Memory Lane**

Two days passed before Kaden visited again. After that he began dropping in at the shop regularly, which was something that Victoria knew she looked forward to much too much.

Jacob had come home late the night he ran away, and went to bed without saying a word. He became quiet after that, staying out after school almost every day. Victoria worried about him immensely.

"Find anything?" she asked. She had pulled out all her books that had any scrap of information on Downworlders, particularly warlocks. Kaden was helping her out as they scoured the pages for anything useful.

"No…" he said, flipping a page. Vic slammed shut the copy of _The Workings of Magic_ that was sitting on the table in front of her, and Kaden looked up from _Warlocks: A to Z. _

"Stupid witch," Victoria muttered, implying the lady they'd bought the books from in a tiny occult shop on the far side of town. She buried her head in her hands, feeling hopeless. How could she help Jacob understand and work through this when she couldn't even tell him was _this_ was?

"Don't worry, it'll be okay," Kaden said, laying a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Vic sighed. "I'm just frustrated. Jacob's having a hard time, and… Kaden?" Kaden was looking down, peering at the book with furrowed brows.

"Sorry," he said distractedly. "I just saw something about Jacob's warlock mark."

"Really?" she exclaimed, leaning in. "Let me see!"

"Here," he said, pointing and leaning back.

_And he who is born of the Fire  
__Shall bear no mark of the womb  
__But have the blood of immortals  
__And be wanted for the tomb_

_And he who spills the blood  
__Shall reap the final reward  
__Unable to be killed  
__By the point of a sword_

The verses were under the section _L: Legends_.

"'No mark of the womb,'" Kaden repeated. "No belly button." Victoria nodded.

"What's this legend about?" she asked. Kaden looked to the book again.

"It's some obscure prophecy in the warlocks' history," he said. Victoria sighed.

"It's interesting, not helpful," she said. "But thank you, Kaden." He nodded, looking unhappy.

"I'm sorry I'm not much of a help," he said as he stood, glancing apologetically at his watch.

"Don't be sorry. You're a huge help," she said. He hugged her tightly before leaving.

"Everything will be alright," he said again at the door.

"I know Kaden, I know," she replied, smiling softly. He walked away with a smile of his own, but all that she really knew was how untrue that really was.

* * *

Victoria walked back inside, fingering the silver chain around her wrist. The metal felt tight and hot, and a fist of unease clenched in her stomach. She stopped for a moment, taking deep breaths before resolutely deciding to ignore it.

But she knew what was coming. _Who_ was coming. She knew it. Just as she couldn't forget her Nephilim blood, she couldn't escape the ties that had been made with it.

* * *

_She was thirteen years old when she ran away. She stole cash, jewellery – anything of significant worth that she could sell, along with weapons and gear, and bolted all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. So great was her fear._

_After a year alone on the streets, she joined a gang. At fourteen years old, she was neither the youngest nor the oldest member. But she grew up with them, and a year later they were the closest to family she had. They were also beginning to make some money in the drug trade business, and by the time she turned fifteen she was smoking weed with the rest of them. _

_Then came the day that was burned into her memory; the day she realized she couldn't run from the truth. She was patrolling the streets of the southern town they claimed as their territory with a boy who called himself Black. They had just walked by a dead-end alley when Black made the fateful discovery. _

_"Yo Roma, check it out!" Back then she went by her last name, or a shortened version of it. _

_"What is it?" she replied, walking past him into the alley, searching for signs of enemy gang symbols spray-painted on the brick._

_"I don't know." Black was peering into the darkness behind a dumpster. "Somethin' moved back there." His hand went to the hem of his shirt, and Victoria knew he had a handgun tucked into the waistband of his jeans. "Can't really tell–"_

_But Black never got to finish his sentence, let alone pull the gun as the thing burst out from its hiding spot. _

_It was like an oddly scaled alligator, flat and oblong, with rows of legs like a centipede. Its whip-like tail ended in a wicked-looking barbed stinger. It was hideous. Victoria was horrified. And she knew exactly what it was. _Ravener demon.

_It lunged for Black, latching onto his leg with its teeth. Black cried out, smacking it over the head with his fist. _

"_Stupid – dog!" he shouted, his words broken with effort as he tried to shake it loose. "Get – off!"_

_Victoria felt sick. Its tail, that had been lashing back and forth, suddenly came up with blinding speed, burying its stinger into Black's chest. Black opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out was blood, pouring over his chin and down his shirt as his eyes glazed over and he crumpled to the ground._

_Victoria felt the air leave her lungs with a choking sound. She hadn't seen a demon in so long she thought she might have lost her Sight. Now she was frozen. _

_The thing twitched, seeming to have heard her. Saliva dripped from its jaws as it let go of Black and skittered towards her. She scrambled back, only to have her back hit the wall. It was a dead end. This was it. She was going to die._

_In an instant, everything she had been running from, everything she tried to forget came rushing back. Her training kicked in and she yanked her knife from her belt. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. _

_The knife whistled through the air as she swung out and severed the tail with a snick. Then she plunged it into the back of the creature over and over again. The thing hissed and writhed, blackish blood bubbling up and spilling across the pavement before it finally went limp. And then before Victoria's very eyes, the demon folded in on itself and disappeared without a trace. Nothing was left of the nightmarish creature that had just threatened her life._

_She fell back against the wall, breathing hard. _No._ She didn't want this, she didn't want to _be_ this, didn't want to _remember_–_

_So she ran. It was the only thing she knew how to do._

_Eventually Victoria fell back into exactly the same life as before, a fact that she later found shameful. Why did she do it? It had been her way of life so long that she didn't know anything else. She joined another gang, picked up heavy pot smoking again, and gained a reputation. This time she became the leader of the gang, and they ran a serious drug trade business. It was a ruthless industry, especially when you were hooked on what you were selling. She was so addicted that a significant amount of debt was slowly building._

_It was a constant race to get the drugs, and more importantly, the money for the drugs. All her gang members abandoned her, one by one, until she was alone. She had no money, and owed many people lots of it. She was starving and craving and living like a true bum on the street. The only way she could drown on the hate for herself and her life was with smoking and drinking. Nothing else mattered. _

_Until she met Jacob. He was eleven years old, a scrawny little kid who'd been orphaned at the age of six. He was running from an abusive foster home, and was tired, hungry, and penniless. And most of all, alone. _

_When Victoria saw him, it hit her. _He's going to end up just like me._ It created a fierce ache in her heart, looking into the face of this young boy as he asked her for food and knowing what would happen if he didn't get help. She knew she was the last person with the means to help someone else in the same situation, but she shared the last of her food with him anyway and tried to give him advice to get him off the street._

_The next day he was back again. She tried sending him away – in a sick but true way, she couldn't _afford_ to keep him – but he always returned. He stuck with her as she scrounged for food, money, and drugs. She might have been slightly high when she did it, but she told him what she really was. _

_Victoria saw hope in his face. Hope for a better future, for both of them. She quit drugs entirely, picking up odd jobs here and there as they travelled north to support her and the young boy who had become like a little brother to her. She practiced what she knew of Shadowhunting with renewed vigour. She finally had enough money to buy a small garage on the outskirts of Toronto, where she started a small mechanics shop for a source of somewhat steady income. _

_But always in the back of her mind was the reason why she ran away from her home in the first place._

* * *

"We are bonded by blood, Maria," he had said. He had always called her by her middle name. "Nothing can ever break that. I will always find you."

_Never. Always._

Try as she might, she couldn't escape her past.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12 – Nan**

A week passed and Jacob had slowly come to terms with his new reality, the one in which he knew that he wasn't entirely human. It wasn't that much different than his old one, really.

Jetty had a lot to do with his realization and fast adjustment. She treated him just like she always had, and never mentioned the kiss. Jacob hung out with her almost every day after work, and always found her waiting just outside the kitchen in the alley. Some days they just wandered. Some days she had something specific to show him.

Today was one of those days, and she led him through a maze of streets and alleys, not once looking lost or confused. Jacob almost immediately lost his sense of direction as they twisted and turned. The streets turned ratty and deserted. They were deep in the bad part of town, and it made Jacob a little nervous. He slowed down, trailing farther behind as Jetty pushed onward.

"C'mon!" she shouted impatiently. "We're almost there!" Jacob ran to catch up to her, relieved to have a destination. They stopped at the dead end of an alley. Jetty walked right up to the brick wall, but Jacob stopped.

"It's a wall," he said, confused. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"No its not," she said. "Look harder." Jacob squinted, peering closely at the wall.

"Jeez," Jetty muttered. "You'd think a warlock kid would have Sight." Jacob blinked when she said that, annoyed at the 'kid' comment, and then it was there. He stared in awe. She was right, it _wasn't_ a wall. It was a shop. A tiny, crooked, filled-to-the-brim shop. And he had pulled the glamour right off of it.

The windows were dirty, and the inside was dark and curtained. A wind chime that looked as though it was made of bones hung next to the door, rattling in the faint breeze. Monstrous, half-dead plants grew in pots under the windows. Posters were tacked on the front of the shop, some ripped and washed out by rain, others bright and new.

Jetty pushed through the half-open door and stepped inside, Jacob following her closely. He followed her down the narrow aisles to the back, nervously eyeing the shelves that were packed with… things. He stared at a jar that seemed to have round balls inside, staring back at him.

"Ah, hello there dear," a creaky old voice said, jerking Jacob's attention back up. Jetty was standing at a counter at the back of the shop, an old woman hunched on the other side, wrinkled and grey and not much taller than Jetty herself.

"Hey Nan," she replied, and _that explained everything._ The old woman was Jetty's grandmother, and this was definitely some kind of Downworlder shop. So _that's_ how Jetty knew about the Downworld. Jacob approached slowly.

"Oh, and who have you brought with you?" Nan asked, looking at Jacob with sharp black eyes.

"This is my friend Jacob," Jetty replied casually, completely at odds with Jacob's nervousness. "We were hoping to see the library," Jetty added.

"Yes, of course," the old woman replied, and Jacob got the distinct feeling that Nan wasn't just your average, garden-variety little old lady. Nan ushered them in the back, and Jake could feel her breath on his neck.

The air at the back was stifling; it smelled thickly of ancient paper and ink that hadn't seen the sun in a long time. The books were stacked everywhere. On shelves and on the floor, scattered throughout every square in of the room.

"Go ahead," Nan said, shuffling out the door again.

"Take whatever you like," Jetty said as Jacob picked up a book from a small crooked table. The title came visible in a puff of dust. _The Art of Diaphanous._ He looked at the others underneath it._ How to Make a Multi-Dimensional Door. Cooking with Earworm._

They were all Downworlder books.

Jacob looked up at Jetty.

"I figured you wanted some answers," she said with a shrug, looking uncomfortable. "I gotta go talk to my Nan," she muttered, walking away.

Jacob stared around the room. Jetty was giving him an amazing opportunity to look into his heritage.

_I'd better start digging._

* * *

An hour later he stumbled out of the room with a single book in hand, and dust all over him. Jetty was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello, young man." Her Nan was standing there, waiting in the dim light. "Have you found what you were looking for?"

"Yes." Jacob nodded. The woman peered at him.

"Well, you know you must pay a price." Jacob didn't like where this was going, and took a step back. A quick glance behind told him he had nowhere to go but back to the book room.

"W-what do you want?"

"Nothing you don't have plenty of," she said, advancing. "Give me your hand." Jacob held the book tightly, debating. He _needed_ it. And Jetty's grandmother wouldn't hurt him, would she?

Before he could decide or stop her anyway, the old lady had grabbed Jacob's hand in an iron grip and pulled a pin out from her shawl. In one smooth motion she pricked the heel of his hand and squeezed, ignoring his small shout of pain and protest. A bead of blood welled up on his palm.

"Young warlock blood can come in handy," she cackled, pulling out a clear vial now from under her numerous clothes. Twisting his hand sideways, they both watched as Jacob's blood trickled down and into the glass, leaving a crimson trail across his skin. The old lady was watching eagerly as the vial filled with scarlet liquid. Once it was full she let go of his hand and stopped it with a cork.

She grinned toothlessly at him, turning away and disappearing through a beaded curtain behind the counter. "Ready to go?" Jetty was suddenly standing right behind him, hand shoved deep in her pockets.

"Y-yeah," Jacob replied, his voice a little strangled at the absurdity of what just happened. "Where were you?" he asked.

She just shrugged and led the way outside. They walked without a word, and Jacob rubbed his aching hand all the way home.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13 – First Magic**

When Jacob got home it was late, but Victoria didn't say a word. She was too tired. Kaden had left a while ago, and she had cleared the books and got dinner ready. She ate at the table with Jacob, but her stomach turned. She couldn't take another bite. Jacob was absorbed in his own thoughts, and hardly noticed when she stood to clean her plate.

The next morning Vic felt cold, and bundled herself in a sweater and sweat pants before getting to work. Her back ached from sleeping on the couch, but she refused to kick Jacob out of bed when he was having a rough time.

"Morning Victoria!" she heard Kaden call as he let himself in as usual. She smiled a bit and shouted, "In the shop!" as she stood to greet him.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise as he hugged her. "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah," he said. "I don't know why. I just woke up this morning, and… hey, are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically, but he shook his head with a brief grin.

"No, not like that."

"I'm just coming down with something, no big deal," she said, waving off his concern. He still had a slight frown, and she smiled as best as she could at him. His mouth pulled up, but he took out his stele and gently drew an _iratze_ on the back of her hand, with such care that it almost made her blush.

"Better?" She nodded, but it was a lie. She hadn't expected to feel better anyway. No healing rune would make this go away. The bracelet felt tight on her wrist again and she pulled her hand out of his.

"C'mon, I've got to finish this truck. You'd think the wolves would learn to take better care of their things…"

They worked together for the rest of the day, but Victoria was out of it. Her head felt stuffy, like she was catching a mundane flu. She could tell Kaden noticed it too. It had been like this the past few days, although this was the first time he mentioned anything.

"I won't be back for a while. Vernon wants to visit another Institute in Quebec for a few days," he said before he left that night. He seemed disappointed, which somehow made Victoria's heart feel warm.

"I'll miss you too," she teased. He rolled his eyes but smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Take care of yourself," he said as he left. Vic knew that although the sentiments were sweet, there was nothing she could do but wait.

* * *

Kaden knew something was wrong. Shadowhunters never got sick because they could simply use a healing rune get better. But the purple smudges under Victoria's eyes and her alarming weight loss over the past week told Kaden it was something serious.

He wished Vernon hadn't guilt-tripped him into this trip. But Kaden was spending so much time with Victoria that he was rarely at the Institute anymore. His mentor was concerned.

Kaden knew he was falling behind in his lessons, but when he was with Victoria it was hard for him to muster up the will to care. For one reason or another, the cramped, chaotic workshop and home under the sign _Vic's Mechanics_ was where he wanted to be.

* * *

Jacob held the book tightly as he slipped out the door and around to the side of the shop, where the entrance and garages were.

The pages were warm to the touch as he flipped the book open, flipping through. Victoria had told him it was "nothing" so many nights ago; Jacob knew it had been an old gang member hassling her for money. But there was something else that bothered him about that night, and he was determined to find out. He wasn't a kid anymore.

Victoria had found the window broken and assumed that whoever did it had trying to steal money. That was probably true, but there was something that made him suspicious. Something had been bothering him about that part of the shop ever since that night. Something he could sense in the air. And he'd heard a noise while Victoria was talking to the other man, he was sure of it.

He found the page, trying not to think about how he'd acquired the book with Jetty. His hand still stung. He concentrated hard, just like he'd read to do in the book, and felt the magic hum through his veins as he stared at the curving, wicked letters of the spell. The whole world stopped and it seemed to flow out of him as he read, his mouth shaping words that sounded like crackling fire. Somehow he just _knew_, even having never spoken it before. It was the language of Lilith's children, the language of his kind. Some called it the Devil's tongue.

The thrum of magic had a color – hot orange that exploded across his vision like a shower of sparks. He closed his eyes. It felt like he was floating, and then his feet suddenly hit the ground, hard.

He opened his eyes and nearly cried out. A group of three men stood before him, in baggy, dirty clothes. Night had abruptly fallen, and streetlights cast a pale glow on the whole scene.

"What are we waiting for?" one of them hissed. He held a knife loosely in his hand. He had a sort of scrawny strength to him. He looked like he could run fast.

"Shut it, Jack. We gotta wait till D's got the girl outside," said the tallest. His skin was a dark shade of brown and he had broad shoulders and thick arms. His head was bald and he looked like he was in his mid-twenties. It also looked like he worked out.

That's when it suddenly hit Jacob. He'd seen these guys before. They were the same men who Jetty had left with the first time he saw her.

The third, nervous-looking man tugged on the pendant hanging around his neck. He was gangly and hunched over, eyes darting. "Are you sure–"

"Take your doubts to the Boss, Max," the tall one said gruffly. Max's mouth twitched as he lowered his gaze again.

"Master Julian doesn't take kindly to those who question," another voice intoned. In the shadows stood a fourth man, lounging against the wall. He was wearing a long black trench coat and pointed boots. His face was sharp and elegant, his voice cultured and foreign. He was nothing like the street boys he was with. Curling black Marks on the backs of his hands gave him away for what he really was.

_Nephilim_.

"It's time," he said, gesturing to the window. "Slim, if you please?"

Jacob noticed with a start that he was standing right beside the window, exactly where he had been when he had spoken the spell. Yet the men looked right through him. Of course, because all of this had already happened. That's what the spell did. It let him see the past.

Slim – the tall one – peeled off his shirt and balled it around his fist. Then with a single swinging punch that had Jacob ducking for cover, he smashed through the window. _So that's what I heard,_ Jacob thought. From his room it had seemed like a sharp tinkling sound as the glass shattered.

Slim leaned in, reaching around and unlocking the door next to the window from the inside. Then he pulled his shirt back on and opened the door. The men slunk inside. They searched silently but thoroughly, seeming determined to find something.

"It's not here!" Jack whispered vehemently in the semi-darkness.

"Not to worry," the nameless man said. He kneeled, pulling what Jacob recognized as a Shadowhunter stele out of his pocket. "I will mark this place, so Master Julian can be sure. We needn't bring anything of hers back this way." He was dragging the tip across the concrete. When the rune was complete, it faded from view.

Jacob watched the scene play out through the broken window, but he had no idea what was going on. Who were these people? What did they want with Victoria? A sudden noise behind him grabbed Jacob's attention. A fifth man was stalking down the side of the building, striding purposefully toward him. The man's face was screwed up in a scowl. Jacob leapt back when the new guy leaned in through the broken window.

"She's back inside. Let's get out of here," he hissed. The Shadowhunter stood and they left, Slim locking the door behind them.

"Let's go," Slim said. Without another word they walked away, disappearing down an alley across the street.

Jacob struggled to follow them, but it felt like he was moving through jelly. The spell seemed to be weakening, and this time it felt like he was flying upward – and found himself pitching forward, headfirst into the concrete. He managed to catch himself, scraping his palms raw.

Looking up, Jacob quickly realized he was back in the present. The book had fallen from his grasp, and was lying open, the pages rustled by the cold breeze. Jacob shivered, feeling exhilarated. This was his first major magic, and it made him feel so alive it took his breath away.

He picked himself up, springing to his feet and grabbing the book before walking inside. His thoughts were scattered all over the place. Victoria was asleep, curled up on the couch.

He had no idea how much time had passed in the present. Everything was in sharp focus, a whole new world to explore. He gazed around the room, amazed at the clarity of his senses. The magic made him feel incredible, the world suddenly beautiful. For the moment, he forgot the men and their unknown purpose.

Laughter bubbled up in him, unbidden, only for the sheer joy of the life filling him. What he didn't notice was Victoria's unhealthily pale face and her shallow breathing as she slept.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14 – Collapse**

"Vic? Victoria?"

"Mmmm," Victoria mumbled. She woke up feeling tired every morning now. Time was ticking away. She hung on to the fact that she would see Kaden again soon, even though she would hate for him to see her like _this_. Either way, he would be back tomorrow.

"I'm going to school, okay?"

"Jacob!" she gasped as she slammed into consciousness and flew upright, her breath catching as pain spiked across her temples. "I'm so sorry I slept in! Did you eat breakfast? Do you have a lunch?" Her mouth was working even as her head was spinning.

"Yeah, I got it all," Jacob said. His brow furrowed, looking concerned and… troubled. "Go back to sleep," he told her. "You don't look so good." She swung her legs off the couch and stood even as he said this, catching the back of the couch in a white-knuckled grip to stop herself from swaying on her feet.

"What are you talking about? I look great," she joked, plastering on a smile. She nearly sighed in relief when he bought it, smiling back.

"Whatever you say, Vic. See ya."

"Bye Jake. Have a good day at school." She sank back down on the couch as soon as he left, taking a deep breath. Weariness crashed down on her, and she found herself drifting to sleep again. One day off wouldn't hurt…

* * *

Victoria slowly woke up one sense at a time. She could feel the lumpy couch underneath her, and her mouth tasted fuzzy. There was the sound of quiet but not silence. Her eyelids felt stitched shut, but she slowly pulled them apart.

Sunlight was slanting in through the kitchen window at an odd angle, like it was late evening. Her heart jumped up into her throat when a beep echoed through the room, and then relaxed when she realized what it was – just the answering machine in the other room. She heaved herself up, feeling stiff, like she'd been lying there a long time. Shuffling across the room, she opened the door to the garage and walking over to her desk. The answering machine beeped again. She rarely used the phone, and hardly ever got messages.

She pressed the play button.

"This is Toronto Public School calling to inform you that your child was not in school today…"

"Jacob," Victoria breathed, her heartbeat picking up again. He'd never missed a day of school since she signed him up. Her head pounded. Something wasn't right.

She ran back into the house, throwing open the bedroom door, already knowing he wouldn't be there. The bed was made, and the digital clock blinking on the side table caught her eye. The tiny flashing date in the corner shocked her.

How could she have slept for two days?

If this clock was right, it was the day after Jacob had woken her up to tell her he was leaving for school. That meant she'd slept the rest of that day, and all through this one until now, 5:48 PM. She could hardly breathe. It _couldn't_ be true.

She burst outside, the sun streaking gold across the sky as it set. She pounded down the street towards the school, her body screaming at her to stop.

A scream built in her throat. _Jacob! Where are you?_ Traffic whizzed by her as she stumbled to a stop at a main intersection. Her muscles burned. She was being irrational. She knew she wouldn't walk down the street and see him there. She ran back to the house as fast as she could. She had to get in a car, she had to find him–

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw it. The symbol was spray-painted across the back door that led to her house behind the shop. She knew it, she recognized it. She felt like she was drowning, her emotions overwhelming: despair, anger, confusion, fear…

_Julian. _Her mouth spoke the name aloud without her permission.

"Oh, so you recognize it. He wasn't sure you remembered." Victoria nearly screamed again when the man stepped out from the shadows, although she knew the sharp face and elegant voice well. His long black coat fell to mid-calf and his pointed black boots clicked against the concrete.

"Christian," she said.

"Victoria," he replied, a faint smirk on his lips.

"Still doing his dirty work?" she sneered, wiping the smirk off his face. It was not nearly as satisfying as it usually was to see him scowl. She was hurting too much.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "What do you want with Jacob?"

"You know why I'm here," he replied, the smirk returning. _He's coming for me,_ Vic thought with little surprise. _Julian's found me._ What surprised her was how much that still scared her. A nightmare coming true.

"As for your little warlock pet," Christian continued, staring at her with purposeful maliciousness. "Well, if you want him back, you'll cooperate."

"_Bastard_," she hissed, clenching her shaking hands into fists. "You took him!" _He's just a boy!_ she wanted to shout. Christian's smirk was a Cheshire-cat grin now. Vic couldn't seem to catch her breath. She closed her eyes for a moment, teeth grinding as she tried to hold onto her balance. The bracelet was tight and burning hot.

"Don't forget you need him too," Christian said, grabbing her wrist and twisting the solid silver links encircling it. She wrenched her arm away from him, eyes wild. Her heart pounded against her ribcage so hard it was painful, threatening to burst out of her chest.

"Go _away_," was her brilliant retort before she wheeled around and ran back towards the house. Black spots scattered across her vision as she stumbled inside, thoughts racing.

_He took him. Julian took Jacob._ She caught the edge of the kitchen table to support her sagging weight. Her legs refused to hold her up, and her knees buckled. She was fairly certain that if she'd eaten anything in the past 48 hours she would have thrown it up. _Jacob. _

Her chest burned as a sob built in her throat. She tried to get up – she _had_ to find him, she had to get Jacob _back_ – but the room was spinning, the ground tilting at odd angles as she slumped to the floor.

"Jacob." Her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper before the darkness reared up and swallowed her whole.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15 – Taken**

"How'd you get the name Jetty?"

Jacob watched as Jetty walked along the top of the stone wall, only five feet off the ground. It was early afternoon, and the November sun was shining surprisingly brightly. Jake's jacket hung open.

"It's like Jet. 'Cause I can run really fast," she said, peering out over the neighbourhood.

"What's your real name?" She didn't answer, but a dark look crossed her face as she jumped down from the wall. She'd been very quiet all day, not like herself at all.

"Jacob–" she began, but was cut off as a shot rang out, echoing through the quiet streets. Jacob jumped, turning to look where it had come from, and saw two men advancing down the street on their left. The gun glinted dully in the sharp sunlight. Jacob's stomach flipped, instinct kicking in. He grabbed Jetty's hand.

"Run!" he shouted, trying to pull her along. Jetty wouldn't budge. Another shot ripped through the air, and Jacob saw chips of brick fly from where the bullet struck the wall beside them. Fear and confusion strangled him. "Jetty, we have to move!"

Her lips were pressed in a thin line, her eyes steely. _She's crazy,_ Jacob thought. But another emotion had flowered in him, and he wouldn't leave her here.

"Please Jetty," he pleaded, eyes wide and frantic. The men were getting closer. "Please–" Another shot sounded, and this time pain exploded in Jacob's thigh. He cried out and crumpled as his leg gave out. He looked down at the blood, almost in disbelief, and then back up at her. "Jetty?"

She didn't move, refusing to look at him. The pain was excruciating. A low moan escaped him as tears ran down his face. He couldn't get up no matter how hard he tried, couldn't even crawl away. The men were upon them.

"Good work, Jet," the guy with the gun said. Jacob recognized them through the haze of pain. They were the men who'd broken into the house, the same guys he'd seen with Jetty the first time: Slim and Jack. A part of him realized the events were all connected – the break-in, Jetty, and this attack – but it was getting hard to focus. Jack stared down at Jacob with a greasy grin of triumph.

Slim tucked his gun away and said, "C'mon, we gotta get outa here before someone reports the shots." Jacob's hands were slick with blood, darkness seeping in at the corners of his vision. He struggled weakly as hands dragged him up, but it was a lost battle.

"Jetty…" It was no more than the ghost of her name on his lips before he passed out cold.

"Made an impression on this one, didn't you?" Jack said, and both men chuckled as Slim tossed Jacob's limp body over his shoulder. Jetty didn't say a word, expressionless.

"C'mon, Jetty-girl, cheer up," Jack said, nudging her shoulder roughly. "We're getting paid _very_ nicely for this."

"Then don't let him bleed to death, will you? We're paid to bring him back _alive_," she snapped viciously, stalking forward ahead of the group. Jack laughed.

"No problem, sweetheart!" he called to her, still snickering.

"Shut _up_," Slim grunted. "You wanna get on the Seelie Queen's bad side?"

"Come on," Jack scoffed. "Don't tell me you believe all that faerie shit."

"You haven't seen Jet without the human thing covering up her real looks," Slim replied, barely repressing a shudder.

"Yeah, okay," Jack said, obviously sceptical. They walked the rest of the way to headquarters without speaking. The only sound was of Jacob's shallow breathing.

* * *

When Jacob came to, the first thing he noticed was the pain in his leg. The pain itself seemed to be what woke him. He groaned, everything rushing back. He pushed himself up and swallowed a wave of nausea and dizziness. He was in a cage, but beyond that he had no idea where he was. Through the bars he saw a dingy room with a couple tattered couches and a pool table in the corner. Three men filled the room and Jacob recognized the faces.

The lights were dim and Derek lounged on a couch watching TV, the flickering light reflecting off the beer bottle in his hand. Two other men – Slim and Max – were playing a game of pool. The clack of billiard balls and the hum of the TV melted into rushing sounds in his head as his vision blurred again. They had tied a rag around his bullet wound but it was still leaking blood, a sticky puddle underneath him.

Someone kicked the cage, rattling the bars violently. Jacob couldn't hold back a whimper when it jolted his leg.

"The mongrel's awake," the man who kicked the cage said. It was Jack. The other men looked up.

"Good," Derek said. "You would've been dead if you'd killed him." Slim gave Derek a dark look, but Derek didn't turn. He continued to stare at the TV and sip at his beer.

"I know how to handle a gun," Slim said, a defensive rumble of his deep voice. Jack squat in front of the cage and Jacob stared at him apprehensively.

"So let's see you use your magic, warlock," he said tauntingly. "Why don't you fix yourself up?" Jacob was so confused. What did these men want with him? What did they want with Victoria? Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't good.

"Not talking, eh? Maybe it's because you don't know how to use magic," Jack continued. "Maybe I should help you out. If you keep the bullet in there you'll get an infection." Jacob's stomach clenched in fear at Jack's malicious expression; none of the other men said a word or paid the slightest attention.

"How would you like that?" Jack grabbed the cage, shaking it again as he pulled out a key and unlocked the padlock. Jacob scrambled back, panic gripping him, but Jack was already yanking him out. He tumbled across the floor, pain spiking down his thigh. Something glinted silver in Jack's hand, wickedly sharp.

"My knife hasn't tasted blood in a while," Jack said. "Let's get that bullet out, shall we?"

"No!" Jacob shouted as the knife descended. "No–!" His shouted became a scream as the cold metal hit flesh, digging into the bullet wound and twisting. The pain was so great Jacob thought he would throw up or pass out again. He almost did. His chest heaved as Jack pulled out the knife. Fresh blood soaked Jacob's pants and spread across the floor.

"Almost," said Jack, grinning. He slid the knife in again. "I can feel it," he said, pushing harder. Jacob screamed so loud his ears rang and his voice scraped raw as Jack dug the knife in again and again. Finally, what felt like hours later to Jacob, there was a _clink_ as the bloody bullet hit the floor. "There," Jack said as Jacob struggled to breathe. Jake was sweating, half unconscious from the pain and limp on the floor.

"_What are you doing?"_ The shriek seemed distant to him, though a familiar voice. The response blended into unrecognizable words to Jacob as he lay there. Then cool hands were touching his feverish face, arms around him, a jerking motion. Pain flashed through him again and his eyes rolled back.

"No, no…" he moaned. He just wanted to die. He'd rather die than go through any more pain. More shouting, more screams piercing his ears, though these were not his own. And then consciousness slipped away, a blissful release.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16 – Faerie and Vampire**

When Jacob woke up a second time, the pain was just a dull throb, his head pounding in time with his heartbeat. He was back in the cage, lying awkwardly on his side. His back ached from being curled up in the cramped space.

A sound caught his attention and he raised his head, apprehensively casting his gaze around the room, his muscles tense. He almost sighed aloud in relief when he saw that none of the men were in sight. The room was empty.

Empty all but a tiny figure hunched over against the wall, not too far from Jacob's cage. Straggly blonde hair fell in a tangled mess over her face. Her shoulders shook and Jacob could hear her breath hitching. Was she… crying?

"Jetty?" His voice was hoarse, and he winced. Her head snapped up. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes shining and watery.

"Jacob," she cried, her voice thick as she scrambled over, frantically wiping away her tears at the same time. Jacob immediately noticed there was something off about her, aside from the shocking display of weakness. He'd never seen Jetty cry, or even acknowledge pain existed. Jacob pushed himself up as she grabbed the bars of his prison. He almost did a double take. Her fingers looked strange, oddly double-jointed.

"Jetty, what's going on?" he asked. His face felt hot and sweaty. He stared at her. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Something about Jetty flickered, like one image atop another, and Jacob pulled back the glamour. It was a struggle, her mouth set in a grimace, but Jacob held on with determination. Abruptly, Jetty exhaled all at once and let it fall away, slumping in defeat and closing her eyes. Jacob saw what she truly looked like for the first time, the face hidden behind a glamour so strong he hadn't even known it was there until this moment.

Her skin was the lightest green, her fingernails glinting silver. She was still tiny and wiry, but with the slender grace and vicious beauty of the Fair Folk. When she opened her eyes to stare back at him, her eyes were a shade of indigo, a deep blue-violet. Her wings, unfurled, were translucent but riddled with the same colour indigo veins, but they seemed to be crumpled. One hung slightly limp.

"Jetty?" he breathed in shock. He reached out with one hand to touch her face. _Was she real?_ She flinched back.

"I thought you were dead. Please…" she said, reaching between the bars with a slender arm. "Let me finish healing you." Jacob didn't move. He couldn't. Nothing made sense; his mind was uncomprehending. Gentle fingers pushed away the scraps of his pant leg and probed the ugly wound. Coolness seeped into his hot skin from those fingers, healing energy. The pain slowly dissipated until it was entirely gone. Jacob's head began to clear. He watched in awe as his skin finished knitting itself back together slowly.

"You're a… a faerie," he managed to say.

"Yes," she replied quietly. They locked eyes for a long moment. Jacob's mind raced. How could this be? Her lips trembled. Her wide, round-eyed gaze pierced him. She was so _pretty_, and such a devastated expression. He wanted to comfort her. Of all things, he wanted to tell her it was okay. But another emotion was quickly drowning that urge. She had _lied_ to him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I couldn't."

"Are you working with them?" he demanded, the betrayal wounding him deeply. He couldn't ignore the fact that he was in this cage, and she was sitting out there. He gestured to the door of the room. "What do those men want?"

She didn't answer.

"If you're not going to tell me anything, why'd you save me?" he accused.

"I didn't know they were going to do this," she whispered. She looked as though she was going to burst into tears again. He'd never seen her like this, but he showed no mercy.

"Didn't know _what? _That they would _hurt_ me? What about Victoria? I know they want my sister," he spat, eyes narrowed. Jetty may have never been more beautiful, but he'd never trusted her less. It was incredible how far his heart had fallen, how much it hurt.

"Jacob, I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking and then gaining strength. "We have to get out of here. I saved you because I found out what they're planning to do, and–"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Jacob shouted, but she was already focusing on the lock.

"Yes you are!" she growled, her old self returning to possess the foreign body in front of him.

"No," he refused. He was being irrational, but he was blinded by his feelings.

"Jacob," she began, yanking off the lock.

"I'd rather take my chances with Jack," he spat acidly. She ignored his comment, but he could tell it had stung her. _Good._

"Jacob, c'mon." The cage door was open and she was impatient, anger building.

"No!"

"I won't let them kill you!" she screamed at him furiously, dragging him out. He jerked himself out of her grasp even as he stumbled out of the cage to his feet.

"Don't touch–" He never got to finish his sentence because the door burst open.

"_Bitch,"_ Jack snarled as he lunged for Jetty, adding, _"Traitor!"_ as he grabbed her by one of her wings. She screamed. Pain spiked in Jacob's head despite the healing she'd just performed on him.

"You were going to help the warlock escape!" Jack accused, twisting his grip on the filmy membrane of her wing. Jetty's knees gave out and she screamed in pain again.

The other men weren't very far behind Jack. Jack looked wild, out-of-control, and murderous. Max was muttering as he frantically fingered his pendant. Before Jacob could move he was being roughly restrained. Slim and Derek shoved him against a wall. Jacob started to struggle a second too late. Jetty was on the floor, very human shrieks and sobs escaping her lips.

"_Jetty!"_ Jacob shouted.

"Shut up," Derek commanded gruffly, squeezing his grip on Jacob's arm tighter.

"Enough." It was one word, the voice smooth and calm. It sent an unpleasant shiver down Jacob's spine. Two new men had arrived. One was a familiar sharp face: the Shadowhunter that had been at the house on the night of the break-in. He didn't look very confidant now.

"Master, I apologize–" he began nervously, but the other man didn't let him finish.

"Silence." The new man was tall and leanly muscled, strikingly handsome with a strong air of command. He cast a dark-eyed gaze around the room. Everyone was frozen. Jetty whimpered softly, breaking the quiet. The man seemed indifferent, his expression aloof. But when he looked down at the fey girl and her assailant on the floor, his lip nearly curled in disgust.

"On your feet," he ordered, and Jack scrambled up, yanking Jetty up with him. She made a pained noise again, barely able to stay standing. Jacob swallowed against the tightness in his throat.

"Christian," the man said to the Shadowhunter, "What's going on?" Christian, who had been glaring at the others, looked up and replied quickly.

"Master Julian, I have no idea. I left them here to meet you at the portal," Christian wheedled, obviously trying to cover his ass. Julian's stare was unwavering.

"I see," Julian murmured. Jacob didn't like this, didn't like _him_. Julian – whom Christian was calling _Master_ – was vaguely familiar, and not in a good way. He was not a Shadowhunter; his skin was unmarked. But Jacob knew this man wasn't mundane either.

"Is that the boy?" Julian asked, nostrils flaring. He advanced towards Jacob like a panther stalking prey, where Slim and Derek had pinned Jacob like a butterfly on a board.

"Let him go," Julian said and Jacob was dropped. He landed unsteadily on his feet, stumbling a bit. Julian caught his chin with hard, cold fingers and forced Jacob's head from side to side as he inspected him.

"That is him," Christian confirmed, eager to please, "The warlock that the girl had with her." Julian nodded, baring his teeth as he inhaled deeply. From their close proximity, Jacob could see the man's elongated canines.

"My Maria," Julian murmured, almost a faraway look in his eyes. Jacob's heart dropped like a stone as he made the connection.

_Julian was after Victoria. _

_Julian was a vampire._


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17 – Sick**

Kaden dumped his duffel bag on his bed, immediately turning and walking back out of his room. He almost had to stop himself from running down the hall.

"I'm going out!" he called to Vernon, his mentor, as he passed the study. Vernon opened his mouth to protest but Kaden was already gone.

The sun was shining brightly as he made his way down the streets. He had just gotten back from the trip to the Quebec Institute. It had been a nice trip and a learning experience, but he was glad to be back. He couldn't wait to see Victoria again. He had gotten back a day late, so he had decided to go visit her right now. The weather seemed to match his upbeat mood and he picked up the pace as he turned down her street.

As he neared Victoria's house, he paused and stared, his brows furrowed. A strange symbol was spray painted across the door. He had no idea what it meant, and couldn't recall ever seeing it in a textbook or anything.

Kaden knocked hesitantly. Could he just go right in? He had been last week, but somehow barging in after four days away didn't seem right. Yet no one was answering the door. He knocked again, a little louder. Nothing. His good feeling was dissipating quickly. His stomach twisted a little uneasily.

He tried the doorknob, and it turned with ease. He took a step inside. Sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window, but all artificial lights were off. The air smelled stale. Something wasn't right.

"Victoria?" His voice was met by silence. He looked around, but all seemed to be in place. Then his eye caught what was out of place. Next to the kitchen table on the floor was a crumpled figure, unmoving.

"Victoria?" he asked again as he advanced on the shape. His heart was beating fast. "Victoria!" He recognized her chestnut hair, tangled over her face. He dropped to his knees beside her, a hand on her shoulder to turn her over. He could feel her bony shoulder blade through her thin t-shirt. She was deathly pale, but burning hot. He leaned forward and made out the sound and motion of her shallow breathing. _She was alive._ He sighed in relief, but it was short-lived. She looked so _sick_.

A low moan suddenly escaped her lips as she stirred slightly. He smoothed her hair back from her face.

"Shhh, it'll be all right," he said, trying to keep his frantic worry from overwhelming him. How had this happened? One of her hands came up to slide along his wrist as her eyelids fluttered, but the name on her lips was not his own.

"Julian…"

_Who?_ Kaden had no idea, but he didn't like it. Yet he hardly had time to contemplate as her eyes suddenly snapped open. Her gaze was glassy.

"No!" she shrieked, thrashing and shoving his hand away with surprising strength. "Julian, don't–!"

"Victoria!" Kaden shouted. "It's me, it's Kaden!" Abruptly she stopped moving and dropped back down against the floor, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. Her eyes became a fraction more lucid, focused on him.

"Kaden…?"

"Yes, it's me," he said quietly.

"Kaden…" she breathed. Her grip tightened on his arm again. "Kaden." There was more urgency now in her voice, though she seemed hardly rational. "He took him," she cried, getting worked up again. "Julian took him!"

"Shhh," Kaden said again, trying desperately to calm her.

"Jacob!" she cried, tears building up in her eyes and rolling down her temples, into her hair. "Julian took Jacob! He took– he took– Jacob–" She was barely coherent anymore, her breath catching in sobs. Her hands knotted in his shirt, and he pulled her close, cradling her in his arms as she cried.

Slowly she calmed, resting against him limply, and her hands loosened from his shirt. He didn't move for a minute, swallowing hard. He was scared. More than that; he was terrified. Worse than facing down any demon, it terrified him to see her like this. Where was the strong, resilient girl he'd known only a few days ago?

He didn't let go of her, and he could feel her burning up with fever. He had to do _something_. He couldn't just sit here with her. So Kaden looped his arms under her and lifted her off the ground. It was too easy – she weighed next to nothing. How long had it been since she'd last eaten? How did she end up on the floor? _What the hell happened?_ Kaden hated not knowing, and cursed himself for ever going away in the first place. He'd _known_ something had been wrong when he had left.

He laid her on the bed, which was neatly made. Jacob was nowhere in sight. Kaden had grown fond of him, and it worried him that he wasn't around. Shouldn't he be home from school by now? Could Victoria be right? Was he kidnapped? But by who?

"Victoria, wake up," he said softly. If she went to sleep now he wasn't sure if she'd wake up. "C'mon, Vic." He reached for his belt, pulling out his stele. As carefully as he could, he rolled her on her side and gently pulled up her shirt. He kept his eyes averted as much as possible as he bared the skin of her left shoulder blade and drew an _iratze_. She whimpered as the stele burned her skin, but the healing rune had no affect. It faded as soon as he'd finished marking her.

He pulled down her shirt, trying not to stare at her Marks, her body. She was beautiful, but it pained him that he could count her ribs. He laid her on her back again. Her eyes were half-closed, her skin pale and hot. Kaden stared for a moment and then set to work as determination took hold.

She _would_ get better. She had to.

* * *

Night had fallen, and Victoria was still falling in and out of sleep, incoherent. Kaden tried to keep her cool with a wet rag on her forehead and an open window. He searched the house but found no medicine, although there was a cupboard above the stove where he'd found a variety of Downworlder items, organized in bottles, bags, and baskets. Nothing that he knew how to use.

He was tempted to go back to the Institute to look something up, but decided against it. He would go if Victoria's fever went down, or call Vernon if it didn't. He cursed his own lack of experience.

He'd tried to feed her earlier, but to no avail. Now he spooned another bowl of soup from the pot. He would try again, and keep trying until she ate something. She needed food to get better.

"Victoria," he said, holding the spoon to her lips as he sat on the edge of the bed. Her lips parted, and she swallowed. Kaden sighed in relief as she kept on eating, downing the whole bowl.

"Good girl," he said as she finished, getting up to refill the bowl.

"Kaden?" He turned around and saw with a start that her eyes were wide open. And he could have sworn she had a little more colour than before.

"Hey," he said, moving back to her bedside, "How do you feel?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not seeming to notice he'd asked her something.

"I came back from my trip and found you really sick," he said, taking away the damp towel from her forehead. She was still hot.

"Oh," she said, her brows furrowed, looking confused. Then her expression became devastated. "Jacob…"

"He's not here," Kaden said gently. "Vic… who took him? Who's Julian?" She suddenly pushed herself up, panic flashing across her features. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, attempting to stand before he could stop her.

"You can't be here–" she began, frantic.

"Whoa," he said, getting up to grab her as she folded over with a groan. "Lie down," he ordered, "You're still not well." She looked a little green, nauseous.

"What did you feed me?" she gasped as she sat back down on the bed.

"Just some soup," he said, concerned. "Why?" She groaned again, clutching her stomach. Abruptly she stood again and he lost his grip on her; she bolted to the bathroom.

"Victoria!" he shouted, alarmed. He caught her just in time to see her collapse over the toilet bowl and throw everything up. It wasn't pretty, but he winced and held back her hair.

"So thirsty…" she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I'll get you a glass of water–" Kaden began, standing.

"No!" she shouted, eyes snapping open as she grabbed his wrist. "No," she repeated quietly, eyes closing again. "Not that kind of thirsty…" Kaden was worried that she was losing it again. Instead she just sighed and pulled herself up again. He scooped her up before she could move any further and carried her to the bed.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her eyes were so weary.

"Kaden," she said as he set her down. "You really need to leave."

"Not until you're better," he replied firmly, and she sighed again. Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile.

"But I won't get better," she said, almost to herself. "Not until he comes for me..."

"Victoria," Kaden said carefully. "Who's Julian?"


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18 – Julian**

"Julian," Victoria sighed. Maybe she'd always known this conversation was coming, though she'd tried desperately to avoid it. "Julian is… my fiancée." Kaden stared at her in shock. She fingered the links of her silver bracelet, and his eyes were drawn down to it.

"My family – the Romano family – is powerful in Italy. Julian's family was also very powerful, and there was a rivalry between the two. Hatred and loyalties ran very deep. I grew up around constant battles for control of the capital city, Rome." She paused to take a breath before continuing.

"Everything changed when I turned 13. The elders decided to make an alliance with the De Luca family, most likely just for the power the two families would have together. On my thirteenth birthday I was told I'd be marrying Julian De Luca to seal the deal. Both Julian and I were the sole heirs to our families, so it was supposed to work perfectly.

"Julian was three years older than me. That made him sixteen. I didn't like him at all, but he was very nice to me. We sort of became friends after our parents shoved us together. Then I found out he was sick. He had cancer, and he was going to die.

"He became obsessed with living, by any means possible. He spent long hours researching, and finally came up with a plan." Victoria stopped talking. This story had never been spoken aloud. She swallowed hard. Kaden waited silently.

"He bonded us, bonded me to him. The ceremony was done by a hired warlock, and we exchanged blood. My blood would make him better; it would chase out the disease that was slowly killing him. And my body would take his blood and make it clean again. The magic was very complex. I said yes because… because I had begun to care about him." Her voice sunk down to a whisper. "What a mistake that was."

"Your bracelet," Kaden said, still looking at it. "Is that your bond?"

"It's the physical representation of the bond, yes."

"Couldn't you just take it off and break the bond?"

"No," she said. "Julian made that impossible. I can't break the bond, and if I ever found a way, it would kill me. Trust me, I tried many times in the years that followed, when I didn't care if I died. I wasn't able to." Kaden was quiet again, digesting this information. She couldn't look at his face, but she continued.

"He lived, but we became dependant on each other. We quickly found out that we needed to exchange blood regularly. After a while, we could go longer and longer in between exchanges, but if we waited too long…" She gestured to herself. "We would get sick. Very sick."

Victoria went silent. Then very quietly she said, "He didn't only take my blood from me." Kaden had a sinking feeling he knew what she meant.

"Victoria, you don't have to tell me if you don't–"

"So I ran away," she spoke over him, continuing, "And went to the States. A few years on the streets, and then I met Jacob. After that, I cleaned up my act and came up here.

"Julian found me though, once. I was getting really sick because we hadn't exchanged blood in years, and he hadn't died as I'd hoped. Well, in a way he had. Julian got himself turned into a vampire. He wanted to live more than anything, even if he wasn't really living. But he still needed my blood. Because he was bonded to me, he couldn't become a true immortal. At the same time, he couldn't break the bond."

"You're sick again…" Kaden said, making the connection. "He's coming for you…"

They were both silent for a long time, Victoria with her eyes closed. Kaden was filled with questions, but at the same time he wanted to comfort her and not bring up any more unpleasant memories.

When she opened her eyes again, she looked to the side, not at his face. It felt surreal, that he knew her past. No one else ever had. The fever was making it hard to focus again. She stared at the dark corner of the room, trying to keep her thoughts straight, and suddenly her breath stopped. She gritted her teeth to keep the fear – and the _need_ – from rising in wave and overwhelming her.

"Kaden," she said, controlling her voice to sound casual. "I have something that might help me." She was lying through her teeth, but she had to get him out of the room. "It's in one of the kitchen cupboards; a green bottle, really tiny. Easy to miss. Do mind…?"

"Yeah, I'll go get it," he said, jumping to his feet. He walked out, and the shadowed figure stepped forward.

"How touching," he said, his tone mocking. "You've finally opened up." Vic clenched her shaking fingers into fists.

"Hello, Julian."


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19 – Blood Ties**

He was exactly as she remembered him. Cool and handsome, strong jaw line and a Roman nose, pale skin with a tan undertone and sharp dark eyes. But he had purple circles under those eyes, and he looked a little too thin. The cancer was returning. His face softened ever so slightly when he met her gaze.

"_Mia bella Maria,"_ he said, his Italian smooth and perfect. She shivered at the sound of his voice, trying desperately to ignore the things it did to her body. She was sitting up straight as he walked over to her bedside, trying to be strong, but the fever was burning away her control.

"It's been too long," he said as he sat beside her, too close. Just as he needed her blood to stay immortal – to keep the cancer from killing him once and for all – she needed his blood too. She craved it; his blood would cure her own sickness, which stemmed from the fact that she'd gone so long without it. In that moment her hatred for the bond returned stronger than ever. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

She bit down on her lip, hard, as her emotions conflicted. She was _terrified_; she wished he would leave and _never come back_; she _wanted_ him. He smiled, almost a smirk, as he reached out and stroked her face, her hair. She could see the desire, the _need_ in his eyes as well, but he wasn't going to make this easy for her. She trembled under his touch, unsure if it was fear or desire that shook her.

He leaned forward, and his scent washed over her, freezing her in place. He inhaled deeply as his mouth skimmed her neck, her collar bone, hands holding her face. She was burning hot and weak. Her heart pounded fast as a hummingbird's wings. She went limp under his touch, all resolve flying out of her.

"_Maria,"_ he growled low in his throat. Her head tipped back, the breath knocked out of her. A soft cry escaped her lips as he bit down, a flash of pain. Her lashes were wet with unshed tears as he grabbed her body roughly and pulled her closer, pressing her against him. She was powerless to stop him.

He drank hungrily, and when he finally pulled away she was dizzy and light-headed. He had to hold her up but she was hardly lucid enough to care. She knew she would hate herself for not fighting back later, but her fear was paralyzing and now it was too late.

Then he was biting on his own wrist, breaking the skin so that his blood flowed, to give her what she so desperately needed. He pressed the open wound to her lips.

"Your turn, _amore mio_," he said. "Drink." Now she arched her body willingly against him as she drank deeply, gulping down the sweet crimson fluid. She was just so _thirsty_, it was impossible to resist–

"Victoria!"

Reality came rushing back as Kaden burst back into the room. He had a seraph blade out in an instant, taking an offensive stance. Julian took his arm away, but she'd only swallowed twice. It wasn't enough, and he'd taken so much… She swayed as she struggled to remain upright.

Julian turned with calm, sure slowness, like he knew that he'd be able to beat any opponent that could standing behind him. It wasn't hard to believe. His presence was strong and imposing as he stood. He didn't make a move for a weapon of his own, even as he stared down Kaden's blade. He faced Kaden with haughty confidence.

Kaden wasn't stupid.

"Julian," he said. His voice was tight and clipped as he glanced back at Victoria. She stared at him with pleading eyes; for what he didn't know. He could see blood still flowing where Julian had bit her. Kaden swallowed. He'd almost forgotten he was facing a vampire. But it was easy for him to steel himself, standing up straight.

"Get out," he said, his voice cold. The room was thick with tension, although Julian's body language said he was perfectly relaxed. Victoria couldn't see Julian's face, but he stepped away from her.

"No!" she cried, throwing herself forward to catch his arm. He turned to face her.

"Yes, Maria?"

"Jacob," she said, taking a breath to strengthen her. "Where's Jacob?" Julian leaned forward, right into her space. She automatically shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists, bracing herself. His whispered the address into her ear, his breath brushing her hair. Then he moved again, and spoke against her lips, his voice low.

"If you want him back, you'll have to come get him yourself."

"Get away from her." Kaden's voice was deadly now, the tip of his blade resting light as a feather on the middle of Julian's back. Julian stood, whirling in one smooth motion and knocked the blade from Kaden's hands before shoving Kaden aside as if he weighed nothing.

The violence seemed completely out of context, so sudden and surreal. Kaden hit the wall with a thud. The following silence was icy. Victoria didn't say a word, and neither did Julian as he turned his back on her and walked out.

* * *

Helpless tears roll down her face as she stumbled out of bed, her legs nearly giving out underneath her.

"Kaden?" she whispered brokenly as she dropped down beside him. With shaking hands she pulled his stele off his belt and unbuttoned his shirt. As steadily as she could she drew an _iratze_ over his heart. The stele slipped out of her hand when she finished; she kept her eyes on his still face.

Blood was running from the bite on her neck and soaking the collar of her shirt, but she didn't move. _He has to be okay._ Every second that passed and Kaden remained motionless ripped at her heart. She realized the strange background noise was her own voice, repeating over and over again the address Julian had given her.

"172 Oxford Street, 172 Oxford Street, 172…"

Her throat closed and she couldn't speak. A choked sob escaped her and she curled in on herself, falling slowly to rest against Kaden's chest. Seconds, minutes, or hours could have passed when she felt him move and touch her hair. She drew up with a gasp.

"Kaden!"

"Victoria…" She frantically drew another iratze, and he watched her through half-open eyes. As the healing rune took affect, he blinked and shifted, groaning as he sat up and stretched the right side of his body.

"Kaden, I'm so sorry," Victoria said.

"So that was Julian, huh?" Kaden muttered. "Not so bad." Vic laughed and cried at the same time. Kaden gave her a half-smile, and she wondered where this strong, brave man had come from. Then his face went serious, and she went quiet, still as a statue as he reached out and touched the blood on her neck. The look in his eyes told her he hadn't changed completely.

"So what next?" he said, breaking the silence. She sat up straight, drawing in a deep breath. No more weakness.

"172 Oxford Street. I've got to get Jacob back," she replied.

"_We've_ got to get Jacob back. You're not alone, Victoria," he told her.

"No," she murmured with a half-smile, "I'm not."


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20 – Prisoner **

Jacob stared listlessly through the bars of his cage. Night had fallen for the second time since had Julian gotten there. He'd tried everything he could to get out, but the metal was sturdy and impossible to bend, the lock impossible to remove. What else could he do?

TV light flickered across the filthy carpet in the dim room, voices blaring. The gang members came and went, completely ignoring him aside from the occasional plate of food shoved at him. Jacob couldn't figure out what they wanted. It was impossible to contemplate what would happen next. He couldn't spend him whole life in the cage, but they weren't _doing_ anything with him either.

Even Jack didn't cast a nasty glance his way, probably because he had a new victim. Across the room, Jetty was chained to the wall, iron handcuffs digging into her wrists and making them bleed. _Iron is poisonous to faeries; _Victoria had told him that once, when she was fixing up a car for one. Exposure to iron for long enough would kill a faerie. Jetty lay limp with her eyes half-closed.

Jacob couldn't look at her. His heart ached.

Julian had left the night before, and hadn't come back. Jacob had seen Christian a couple of times. The Shadowhunter was the only one who paid the slightest attention to him, but he always looked kind of… nervous. Jacob just stared back at him until he slunk away.

The clock ticking on the wall told Jacob it was almost midnight. He watched the hand move imperceptibly slowly. Then, without warning, the front door blew open just as the clock struck twelve.

"My Lady–" It was Julian, sounding slightly frantic. Jacob sat up quickly, peering across the room. Julian, who'd seemed so composed and sinister the last time, now looked almost desperate. He was speaking to a stunningly beautiful woman who wasn't human at all. She had an authoritative, regal air, wings taut, chin up. She looked powerful, very angry, and not alone.

Derek and Jack scrambled to their feet from where they sat drinking beer on the couch, staring with wide eyes as they backed away from the woman. With a snap of her fingers, small hunched creatures clambered forth from the shadows. The air was saturated in a floral scent, but underneath the smell was earthy and metallic, like blood and soil and cruelty.

"My Queen," Julian said, "I beg you–"

"You have lost your chance," she spoke over him harshly and he shut up fast, mouth twisting as the sprites scurried over to Jetty. They hissed and screeched as they pried the iron from around her wrists.

It suddenly clicked. She was the Seelie Queen, the queen of the fey in the Seelie Court. She whirled on Julian, and despite being a vampire, he had the grace to look frightened for a moment.

"Our agreement is no longer applicable," she spat, "No after treating my gesture of goodwill like this." Jacob shivered at the tone of her voice – icy and venomous – and the way she spoke of Jetty; not like she was a person, but rather a possession. The sprites were dragging Jetty by her arms and legs and hair across the floor to the Queen. Jetty moaned quietly, struggling weakly. Her half-open eyes flickered to Jacob as she passed, barely conscious.

"I'm sorry," she said, the words falling out on a breath. Jacob threw himself forward against the bars of the cage, but his voice escaped him. His movement made noise though, and the Seelie Queen looked towards him sharply. Her entire face changed.

"You found the boy," she said, silky smooth and curious. Jacob barely looked at her, his eyes following Jetty until the Queen was right in front of him.

"_Born of the Fire with the blood of immortals,"_ she hissed, like a verse of poetry. A shiver ran down Jacob's back. Her voice sunk to a low whisper. "Use your magic." She smiled sweetly at him with sharply pointed teeth before whirling around and striding from the room. With another snap of her fingers, the sprites and Jetty sunk into the shadows, the smell of blood and earth fading.

She was gone.

Jacob sat back, his mind reeling. _Gone._ Tears burned in his eyes, and he desperately tried to get a hold of himself. Anger filled him, fury at everything and everyone – Victoria for never telling him what he was, Jetty for lying to him, Julian and the gang for kidnapping him, himself for his own helplessness…

He screwed his eyes shit, the feeling filling him. Orange sparks flew behind his eyelids. _Use your magic,_ the Queen told him. He could feel it, a fiery energy pressing at the seams of the restraints inside of him. _Use your magic._ Jacob wanted out. Out, out, out, OUT!

It burst to life and right out of him, all around, uncontrolled; his skin was hot and his head was light as it flared. He heard distance screams and shouts, but nothing could touch him now. He was flying, getting out, out, out, out–

"NO!"

Jacob felt the pressure before the pain. He was sent tumbling backwards into the wall. Opening his eyes, he saw the cage had been ripped to shreds by his magic. The light bulbs and the TV screen were shattered and everything within a ten foot radius of Jacob completely demolished. The carpet was scorched, still smoking.

The gang members stared, Jack with his mouth hanging open. Julian, still standing by the door was frozen with his arm outstretched. His eyes bulged, panicked, and his chest heaved up and down with his breath; he looked as if everything were falling apart right in front of him. That was when the pain hit Jacob.

It exploded in his shoulder, searing up and down the right side of his body as he stumbled and hit the ground. Julian's seraph blade – the one he'd thrown – was buried hilt-deep in his shoulder. It was too much pain again, too much hurt… Jetty was gone…

The last thing Jacob was aware of before blacking out was the thought that not even his magic could save him.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry, I don't think these things are tenchnically allowed... but can somebody PLEASE tell me what AU or AH or OOC stands for? Also, thanks for the reviews, especially biblioholic; you totally snapped me out of my writer's block. Thanks!**

**CHAPTER 21 – Prepare for Battle**

Victoria hauled herself to her feet, shaking off the dizziness and the dry, parched feeling at the back of her throat. Yet her hands still trembled with the after-affects of Julian's visit and the fear she tried so hard to ignore.

Half the bond requirement was now fulfilled, so she wasn't feeling _too_ badly. But her stomach felt hollow and she knew she was running on pure adrenaline. If she didn't get Julian's blood soon, she would crash, _hard_. But she had to rescue Jacob first.

"How are you feeling?" Kaden asked. He was watching her carefully as she wiped away the blood on her neck. A quick _iratze_ closed the wound.

"How are you?" she shot back. He was still slightly pale; she could tell he was breathing shallowly and holding himself tightly upright.

"I'm okay–" he began, but she was already reaching out and touching his side lightly, the side that had hit the wall so hard it had shaken when Julian had thrown him. Kaden jerked back, wincing.

"You are not okay," she accused, pulling his shirt up. She was beyond worrying about his personal space by now. Yet even though his bare torso wasn't anything she hadn't seen before, her heart still refused to beat calmly.

Purple bruises spread across his ribs and Victoria felt sick. She pulled out her stele and Kaden held very still. The bruises faded a bit, but didn't disappear entirely.

"Your ribs were probably broken," she said tightly. "Now they're just going to be sore." She felt horrible – this was all her fault. Julian had done a lot of damage; no wonder it had taken so many healing runes to fix Kaden up. He saw her face.

"It's okay," he said.

She pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. She knew she couldn't do this on her own. If he wanted to help, it was his choice. She was grateful for it, no matter how much it pained her to see him hurt, indirectly because of her, because of the stupid, reckless choices she made. _Why did I ever think it was a good idea to be bonded to Julian?_

But now was not the time for a pity and regret for either of them. Victoria burst into action, darting around the house as she gathered supplies. Blades, knives, gear, and other weapons.

Kaden watched her flurry of frantic motion. He's meant it when he had told Victoria he was with her. But no matter how strong and determined she was, or how strong and determined they were together, he knew this was much bigger than both of them. So while Vic was in the kitchen rummaging through her Downworlder stuff, he stepped into the bathroom and pulled out his phone.

Victoria changed into full gear, and left out the extra stuff she had on the bed for Kaden. She had no time to pause; time was ticking away, running out. She shoved a couple of blades in her belt, a stele in her pocket, and two daggers in each of her boots. She slipped a silver cross around her neck, hanging on an iron chain. Julian was a vampire, after all. And it wouldn't hurt to have God on her side.

Kaden stepped out of the bathroom and she ordered him to change into the extra gear she laid out for him.

"Why don't we just stop at the Institute–?"

"There's no time," Vic shot back. "We have to go _now_." She had been unconscious for so long; who knew what kind of shape Jacob was in? Kaden suited up grimly, packing on the weapons as well.

"Do we even have a car to get there? I walked here…" Kaden said. Victoria actually smirked, although it came out strained.

"I've got us covered," she said, opening the door to the garage and striding over to the far corner of the room. The bike was sleek and aggressive, and looked like it didn't know speed limits.

"Get on," Vic said, snatching the keys off the hook and slamming the button to open the garage. She tossed a black helmet at him and pulled one over her head. She swung her leg over the motorcycle and started it with a growl; Kaden got on hastily, just managing to take a seat before she threw it in drive and peeled out.

It was practically impossible to speak with the wind, but he heard Victoria shout "Hold on!" as she veered through the streets at an alarming speed. He had no choice but to wrap his arms around her waist, his chest pressed against her back and his legs on either side. He almost blushed, and was thankful she couldn't see his face. He liked having her so close, but her body was tight with tension, and he wondered if his closeness made her uncomfortable.

This was very much like going into a war without knowing who you were fighting against, and he didn't like it. He hoped he could stall for long enough. They raced down the streets, cutting off cars and running red lights. Kaden winced at the blaring horns, but Victoria didn't even flinch.

It took a surprisingly long amount of time to get there. Even with Victoria's blatant disregard for traffic laws, it took them forty-five jaw-clenching minutes to get there, all the way across to the south side of the city. What surprised Kaden the most was when they turned into one of the fancier neighbourhoods. The houses were grand and expansive. Vic tore down the streets, but slowed to a stop as they turned a corner.

"This is the place?" Kaden asked, bewildered.

"Yes," Vic replied brusquely. "I've been here before." It was true, she had been. Julian was sending a not-so-subtle message. The last time she'd been here was with Jacob when they were desperately poor and had just gotten into the city before deciding to move farther north.

The day she discovered he was a warlock.

But what Julian was telling her by picking this place was that he'd been watching her. The whole time she thought she'd escaped, disappeared, his eyes were always on her. She turned off the bike along with her train of thought and focused, pulling off her helmet. She was parked a few blocks away from the house and now turned to Kaden.

"Okay, so this is what we're going to do. We'll sneak in, find out where Jacob is. Whoever we run into is dead. If we see Julian, let me…" She trailed off, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. Kaden didn't like how pale she looked. "Let me talk to him," she finished after taking a deep breath.

"_Talk_ to him?" Kaden questioned. She didn't reply. Kaden wasn't even sure she'd heard his question because she was already turning away.

"Let's go," she said tersely, setting off down the street at a pace that had Kaden jogging to catch up.

_There was no way she was just going to _talk_ to him._


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22 – Royal Wings of Ice**

Jetty couldn't feel a thing. Her whole body was numb. Water ran in icy rivulets down her body and she shivered so hard her teeth snapped together. She struggled to sit up, her arms shaking and back aching where her wings were ravaged.

The sprites had dragged her into the Court the hard way, through the moon-lake entrance. The dank water of Lake Ontario stung her eyes as she scraped lank, dripping blonde hair out of her eyes.

"_Get up."_ The Queen stood in front of her, tall and imposing with a frigid. "You are no daughter of mine," she hissed, staring down at Jetty with eyes like glinting silver knives before she whirled around and talked away.

Jetty didn't say a word as she hauled herself to her feet, unable to disobey. She hated this form. She'd always felt more comfortable wearing her human glamour. That was the face she recognized in the mirror. And now she hated her true self even more after she'd seen the look on Jacob's face when he saw her like this.

She'd been with the gang for almost a year, and had felt more at home there than she ever had in the cold tunnels of the Court. Sure, it wasn't all fun and games, but there had been good times, too. Like Jack teaching her how to handle a knife, or Slim tossing an arm around her shoulders in a rare moment as they walked the streets.

Jetty had always longed to be a part of the outside world, from the moment she saw it. Other faeries were disgusted by the iron world the humans had built, but all Jetty felt was overwhelming curiosity, a need, an urge to discover, explore, and become a part of it. _That_ was where she belonged.

Obviously, her mother didn't think so.

By human standards, Jetty had been around for a while. Fifty-three years, but that was nothing to an immortal. Still, she was young for a faerie; in terms of human development she was considered to be thirteen. In all her years, Jetty had never gotten along with her mother.

The Seelie Queen was a cold, manipulative woman. As far as Jetty was concerned, she didn't have a mom; not in the true, loving, caring sense. As soon as that teenage-rebellion courage kicked in, Jetty had run away. She didn't make it far in the city before iron exposure nearly killed her. The Queen had dragged her back and punished her dearly, but it only fuelled Jetty's desire to leave the Court.

She'd been held down here, in the dripping, earthy caves, only emerging to make appearances as the Queen's daughter. A _princess_. She scoffed at the word, spurned the title. She'd spent her time holed up in her room, practicing her magic and building up resistance with whatever iron her servants could bring back to her. _She had to get out._

Her break had come with the vampire. He arrived to see the Queen, and it was rumoured he was very powerful. Jetty's presence was required as part of the royal family to receive him.

She'd stood silently as he charmed the Queen.

"_I'm here to make a deal," he said, a slight smile on his lips._

"_Oh really?" the Queen said delicately, raising one thin eyebrow. "What could you possibly offer me?" He paused dramatically._

"_A spy in the Unseelie Court," he said. The Queen laughed lightly._

"_Did you think I do not already have my own?" she replied haughtily. The vampire's grin widened, showing the slightest bit of his needle-sharp fangs._

"_Ah, but a spy who is privy to the Unseelie King's thoughts themselves? Who is regularly present in his most private chamber?" That made the Queen pause, her cold smile fading slightly. Love and hate were her mediums, and she'd loved the King at one time, and hated him now._

"_Tell me more," she said. He described his spy to her, the wonderful information she would have about the happening in her rival's Court._

"_What do you want in return?" she asked. _

"_Merely an alliance with yourself, promised in one of your own."_

And so Jetty had been bartered off to a vampire, to Julian. He'd simply sent her to live with the gang, and she'd been there ever since. It was months before she saw Julian again, and then it became clear who was running the gang.

He set them up in a new place in the city, and gave them Christian. A Shadowhunter who worked for him. Jetty was fascinated but wary. Christian kept to himself and was very aloof. He was accepted into the gang's life uneasily as they focused on their mission – find the warlock.

That's where Jetty came in. Her extra magical senses, no matter how much she hated her heritage, were useful. And they found him. They had found Jacob.

She'd never expected to… _like_ him.

It was only after a few beers that the guys had spilled what they knew. Jacob was part of some warlock prophecy and the vamp needed his blood. A feeling of sick dread had welled up in her when she realized what "needing his blood" meant. By then it was too late and Jacob was lying limp in a cage in the living room.

Jetty was not one to give up, but she felt despair welling up in her as she was escorted to her room by two wintry soldiers who then stood outside her door. What could she do? How could she save him? She could hardly stand on her own. As the door shut behind her with a hollowthud, she took a few weary steps and sank down on her bed.

She had to sneak out again. But how?

Jetty jerked awake with a start. She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep. The air was cold again. Her joints were stiff and her whole body felt as though she'd been run over by a bus.

Despite her discomfort, something in the air made her stop and listen. It was silent, strangely so. She got up slowly, trying her hardest to be quiet. Stepping slowly across the dirt floor in her beat-up Converse, it struck her with an odd satisfaction at how out of place she was in the Court wearing her human clothes. But that didn't dispel the uneasiness in her stomach. She tiptoed to the door, listening carefully.

Suddenly, a hand was on her shoulder, yanking her back. Another hand covered her mouth as she gasped, before she could scream. She struggled, biting down hard on the hand.

A distinctly male voice cursed and let her go, shoving her away. She tipped forward, unable to catch her balance and crashed into the wall hard enough to reignite the pain in her old bruises. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she scrambled back. Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily, eyes searching desperately for a way out. Then she realized who had attacked her.

"Christian?" she exclaimed incredulously. The Shadowhunter shook out his bleeding hand and she instantly recognized the foreign lilt to his words.

"Stupid bitch," he muttered, pulling out his stele and glaring at her, sharp nose in the air. He wasn't her first choice, but she would have taken any familiar face at this point. She relaxed and scrambled to her feet.

"You're the one that attacked me," she informed him indignantly.

"I'm getting you _out_ of here," he replied peevishly and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why?" Definitely not out of the goodness of his heart.

"Master Julian needs you," he replied in a clipped voice. Not for the first time Jetty wondered what Julian had done to make Christian call him "master." Christian seemed much too annoyingly proud to concede to anyone else.

Jetty swallowed, but nodded. This was her ticket out; with a Shadowhunter, no less. Well, she wasn't going to be picky.

"This way," he said, clamping a hand around her wrist with an iron grip. She yelped and snatched her hand back. The blisters from the iron handcuffs Jack put her in stung. Still, she had successfully blocked out the past few days with the gang. She clung to her good memories like a child to a favourite blanket – if she couldn't rely on the gang, everything she'd ever trusted in, then all was lost.

And if Christian was taking her to Julian, he was also taking her to Jacob. Jacob, who probably hated her now. Jacob, whose blood Julian would drain to become truly immortal. Jacob…

She had to save him.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23 – Blue Blood**

The house was huge, more of a mansion. Victoria and Kaden snuck past the front door, ghosted along the side panelling, and stole over to a first floor window. Vic pulled out her stele and wasted no time. The window was open in seconds and the clambered inside. Vic knew that the only reason they had got inside so easily was because Julian wanted them in.

It was silent, an eerie quiet that prickled under her skin. Her bracelet felt like an icy handcuff around her left wrist. The house was entirely furnished, old Victorian style. The puffy chairs and long mahogany tables were spotless. It was unnerving. The air was so cold she could see her puffs of breath in front of her face.

The light outside was grey, the clouds filtering out the warmth of the sun as snowflakes began drifting down. Everything in her vision had a slight misty white halo, and Victoria knew that was bad. She had to find Julian and finish the blood exchange. At the same time, she didn't want Kaden to see; she was ashamed of her weakness. She blinked and tried her hardest to ignore it.

Vic led the way through the house, and gestured for Kaden to follow her. They crept through the house, passing through the foyer, a giant room with high vaulted ceilings held up by tall pillars that echoed even the softest of steps. But whoever approached wasn't bothering with being quiet. Vic ducked behind a pillar and saw Kaden do the same.

"Let go! Where are you taking me?" The voice was distinctly female, but not one that Victoria recognized. The one that replied, however, sent a cold tingle through her fingertips. She slipped one hand inside her leather motorcycle jacket and wrapped her hand around the hilt of a seraph blade.

"Quiet. Master Julian will see to you when you're needed," Christian snapped, his long black trench coat flapping as he strode across the hall, tugging along a tiny, wiry faerie girl. Her wings were half torn away, leaking a dark indigo-coloured fluid. Victoria and Kaden stilled in the shadows, and Christian didn't notice a thing.

_Sloppy, Christian. What kind of Shadowhunter doesn't always check his back?_

Vic was about to spring from her hiding place when she saw Kaden gesturing madly for her to freeze. She held back, wondering why the hell he was stopping her. Christian had never been kind to her, even as kids living in Italy. He was Julian's sidekick, his cousin, once or twice removed. But he had forever lived in Julian's shadow, so maybe that's what made him so bitter. Either way, she was not a show-mercy-to-enemies kind of girl.

Kaden didn't return her accusing stare; he watched Christian pull the faerie down one of the hallways leading from the main room they were in. From her vantage point Victoria couldn't see anything, but Kaden had the perfect view. Vic listened to Christian shove the girl into a room and the sound of a door slamming, cutting off a protesting cry.

Christian walked back out looking satisfied, crossing the foyer and marching up the grand, sweeping staircase at the far end of the room, footsteps echoing again. He turned and disappeared down a hall. As soon as the blanket of silence fell again, Vic stepped out from her hiding spot.

"He's not a nice guy, you know," she said to Kaden.

"Yeah, I figured, but… did you really want to kill him?"

"Maybe," Vic said hotly. "And possibly torture Jacob's location out of him." Kaden gave her a look, and she sighed. He was right. It would have been tactless of her to just attack like that. But she was getting more impatient by the second, worry for Jake constricting her chest.

"Why don't we ask the faerie instead? Christian said Julian needed her, so maybe she knows something, or if we set her free it'll mess up his plans." Vic blinked as she realized his logic was solid. Nodding, they walked as quietly across the room as they could. They were about to start down the narrow hallway when Kaden paused.

"Wait," he hissed, throwing up a hand. She froze, and watched as he listened intently. Vic stopped and listened hard as well. The faint sound of voices came down the hall and into the foyer. A thud, a sharp cry–

And then a high-pitched scream that scraped the inside of Victoria's eardrums. She winced and drew a quick breath. Whoever was in there was _not_ okay.

The sound of the door opening had them leaping for cover again. This time the footsteps faded, disappearing down the hall. They crept out into the open once the uncanny silence was back.

"That door," Kaden whispered, and Victoria recognized the locking rune inscribed on it. Pulling out her stele, Vic quickly scrawled an opening rune and listened to the soft click of the lock. She started pulling out a blade, and Kaden grabbed her arm.

"She's just a kid!" he exclaimed softly, referring to the faerie inside. _No one in this is just a kid,_ Victoria's eyes replied, and she flung the door open.

The girl was crumpled on the ground, hair covering her face. Her wings were crushed, her pale green skin almost white. The worst part was the dark liquid gruesomely splashed across the floor and leaking from the deep gashes in her wrists. She looked up weakly, head lolling back, and Vic saw her wide indigo eyes and the pain, suspicion, and mistrust in them. _Oh God,_ Vic thought, _she really is just a kid. _

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice faint and croaking. Her face was so young, for a faerie; she looked the same age as Jacob. Vic's stomach clenched and she tried to remind herself that faeries were immortal. In a few hours the cuts would close. The fey girl's eyes flicked over their Marks and she tensed. "_Shadowhunters_. What do you want?" Victoria opened her mouth, but still no words would come out.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you," Kaden said gently. The faerie glared mistrustfully as her chest rose and fell shallowly with each breath. It made Vic feel kind of sick that they were interrogating a tiny faerie that was so severely injured. Victoria had been trained not to underestimate based on appearance, but the faerie looked entirely helpless.

"We're looking for Jacob," Kaden continued, answering her question. "Do you know who were talking about?"

"Jacob? Why do you want him?" Something in her face changed, and she seemed almost defensive. _She knows something._ Victoria found her voice quickly to reply.

"He's my brother," Vic said. "Where's Julian keeping him?"

"He can't be your brother," the faerie said, looking confused. "He's a warlock."

"Not siblings by blood," Vic said, growing impatient again. "Where is he?" The faerie looked like she was thinking deeply and Vic returned her gaze with a hard stare. Faeries are cunning creatures, and while they couldn't lie, this girl looked like she knew how to tell the truth very creatively, even half-dead.

_If_ they could get her to talk.


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24 – Ti Amo**

"Please," Kaden said, and the faerie's eyes darted back to him. "We need to know." She remained silent, her mouth pressed shut. It was clear she didn't trust them. Her eyes kept dropping back to the blade in Vic's hand. But she _knew something_. Victoria was about to take over the interrogation with a little more force when she spoke.

"Are you… Victoria?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," Vic replied. The girl eyed her speculatively and then pushed herself up with a grimace.

"What's Jacob's warlock mark?"

"_What?"_ Vic stared at the girl, bewildered. What the hell was she asking _that_ for? Who _was_ this girl? The girl stared, deadpan.

"He doesn't have a belly button," Victoria finally answered, trying not to let herself be ruffled by the faerie's question. _But how did she know that about Jacob?_ The faerie nodded to herself and opened her mouth.

"I don't know where Julian's keeping Jacob, but he's hurt. Julian needs his blood for something, I know he's going to kill him–" Everything seemed to spill from her now, her shoulders slumping. "I couldn't save him…"

"Julian needs his blood?" Kaden questioned.

"Some prophecy," the girl said. "I don't know. The guys wouldn't talk about it." Kaden and Vic shared a look of realization. _The prophecy._

_And he who is born of the Fire  
__Shall bear no mark of the womb  
__But have the blood of immortals  
__And be wanted for the tomb_

_And he who spills the blood  
__Shall reap the final reward  
__Unable to be killed  
__By the point of a sword_

It had seemed random, but maybe it played more of a role than they had thought.

"What's your name?" Vic said brusquely. It was time to get things done.

"Jetty," the fey girl said.

"And you don't know where he is?"

"No."

"How do you know him?" Vic asked.

"We…" She hesitated, as if it was painful to say. "We were friends. We hung out after work a lot."

"Work?" Victoria was shocked; her thoughts were completely derailed a second time by what Jetty had said. _So that's where Jake was after school every day._ But since when did Jacob go to work? _Why_ did he work? She hated the feeling that she really didn't know the boy she called her _little brother_ at all. The seraph blade was slick in her hand. Jetty just stared back at her. Vic turned to Kaden.

"Let's go. We have to search the house." Victoria turned away from Jetty, but Kaden gestured to her weakly.

"We're just going to leave her…?"

"What else can we do? We're here for Jacob." Kaden frowned and turned back to the Jetty.

"What happened?" he asked, looking pointedly to her slit wrists.

"Julian took my blood."

* * *

"Remind me why she's with us?" Victoria hissed through clenched teeth. She was wound up to the breaking point. They had to find Jacob – who was _hurt_ – and they were wasting their time bringing a half-dead faery along. Well, she wasn't so half-dead anymore. Her wrists were healing surprisingly fast and she was walking on her own. "I've got strong magic," Jetty had told them. "And he didn't use an iron blade."

The fey girl had begged them to take her with them, to let her help find Jacob. All Victoria saw was an inconvenience, but Kaden had also insisted.

"Julian took her blood for a reason," he argued. "She might be useful."

Victoria had conceded, only because they were losing time standing there talking about it. And she wasn't feeling so good. She tugged on her bracelet.

"I can help you find him," Jetty said. "He's not that way." They had started walking down the hall in the direction Julian had taken after taking her blood.

"How do you know?" Vic asked.

"Magic," Jetty replied, in a _duh_ voice. Victoria almost rolled her eyes. She may have been a faery, but all preteens are the same.

"That way," Jetty said, pointing back to the foyer. Vic turned on her heel and nearly lost her balance. Kaden grabbed her arm.

"You okay?" he asked, eyes wide with concern. "You're really pale."

"I'm fine," she muttered, not bothering to even try to smile. "Let's just find Jacob." Kaden nodded wordlessly and they stepped out of the hallway and back into the huge pillared room.

"Now where–"

"Well, look what we've got here." His voice was silky smooth and strong. Victoria froze and the ground seemed to tilt under her feet. _Julian_. He had come from behind them, but none of them had heard a single step.

"Julian," Kaden said, his voice hard. "Where's Jacob?" Victoria wanted to scream but she couldn't catch her breath. _She_ should be asking the questions. Julian smiled.

"Right here," he replied, and Christian joined him, dragging Jacob out from behind one of the pillars and shoving him forward. Jacob was beat up and bound with electrum wire, clothes torn and bloody. He looked blank, shell-shocked. Then his eyes went up to Victoria and he gave a vicious tug on his restraints. Behind her, Vic heard Jetty draw a sharp breath, almost a sob.

"Vic!" he shouted frantically. "He's a vampire! They're after you–!" Julian whirled around cut him off with a slap so hard it rocked him backwards. With his hands tied taught behind his back, Jacob couldn't catch his balance or himself and he crashed to the floor. Victoria made an involuntary, pained noise. She felt dizzy and sick.

Julian narrowed his eyes at her with a predatory smile.

"_Bella Maria_," he said, the Italian rolling off his tongue as he advanced towards her, leaving Jacob on the floor. "I have what you need, _amore_. You need me."

"Don't come any closer," Kaden said warningly as Julian neared. Julian barely spared him a glance.

"Don't," Victoria said softly, touching the hand with which Kaden had drawn a blade. Kaden turned to look at her, confused, but she didn't look at him. Five more steps and Julian stood in front of her, close enough to brush back her hair. She didn't move a muscle.

"What are you planning?" Her voice was strong, despite the weakness of her body. He stroked her hair.

"Immortality," he replied with relish. "I cannot live forever with you, and yet I need you in order to live forever. And the warlock, and the faery."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Now her voice wavered.

"The bond stopped me from becoming a true Child of the Night. Without your blood, I am still slowly dying." He looked past her, at Jetty. "It took royal Unseelie blood to make the bond, and it must be royal Seelie blood to undo it." That was when Vic saw the pentagram painted on the floor in dark indigo. _Jetty's blood_. And Jacob lay in the middle of it.

"But one last drink from you and the blood of the prophesized warlock will cure me forever." He caressed her face, drawing her closer. "But I need you to be strong," he said in her ear before shifting to bite into the skin of his own forearm with his teeth. "Drink, _amore mio_."

Even as she tried to turn her head and resist, the wound was at her lips. He caught her easily as her knees buckled. She _needed_ it. She could feel the strength rushing back into her as she swallowed the sweet, heady liquid. She stood strong now, and abruptly pulled back and shoved him away, breathing hard. She didn't look at Kaden, though she could feel his appalled stare.

Julian was smiling smugly, gazing at her.

"_Ti amo, Maria,"_ he said, _"ma devo fare questo."_

* * *

_Alright guys..._

_First of all I'd like to say THANK YOU for all the positive feedback and contstructive criticism._

_Next, I'd like to say that it has been brought to my attention that my paragraph and POV (Point Of View) changes have been a little weird/awkward. That is something totally unintentional, due to the fact that I was not previewing my chapters after I uploaded them and before I posted them. So, because I'm slightly obsessive-compulsive, I've gone back and fixed them all, along with correcting some minor grammar errors._

_NO, you don't have to go back and reread. There's no point. But hopefully in the past couple and upcoming chapters you will see slight changes that will make the story easier to read._

_Thanks again,_  
_C. Parmegiani_

_P.S. The Italian (I apologize if it is not perfect):  
__  
"Bella Maria," means "beautiful Maria."_

_"Amore," means "love," or "my love."_

_"Ti amo, Maria, ma devo fare questo," means "I love you Maria, but I must do this."  
__(Heehee... You'll see what he does next chapter! Selfish, EVIL deeds!)_

_P.P.S. I just realized I seem to love using one-liner chapter endings. Good or bad?_


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: In honour of CoFA COMING OUT TOMORROW, here is one of the most intense chapters of this story. It was difficult to get the flow right, so let me know what you think!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 25 – Blood Undone**

In one motion, Julian turned and leapt at Jacob, who was still lying prone in the middle of the blue-black pentagram. He was so fast that his movement blurred. He was on Jacob before Victoria had finished crying out, "NO!"

Julian tossed aside Jetty, who must have run to Jacob's side without being noticed. She flew and skid across the floor with a desperate cry of her own: "JACOB!"

And then he was biting down on Jacob's neck like a snake's strike, viciously, and drinking from him. Victoria threw herself forward, faster than she though possible. The strength from Julian's blood coursed through her and she slammed into him with all the force she could muster. It was like hitting a brick wall, but they both rolled away from Jacob.

Jake's torn throat splashed blood across the pentagram, which began to glow with blue fire. Julian, his mouth stained red, gave a predatory grin and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again and fixing his gaze on her. His teeth were no longer sharp and pointed, his face flushed with colour. Vic froze. _Is he…?_

Kaden, on the other hand, didn't stop. He ran at Julian, blade in hand. Victoria's heart flew up to her throat and she was on her feet again. For a moment she was filled with an indescribable feeling; _Kaden was fighting for her still, even after what he had seen._

She was about to step in when Christian appeared in front of her. He grabbed her by the wrists and yanking her forward forcefully.

"Now is the moment, Victoria," he hissed in her ear. "The in-between of the spell, when he is vulnerable. When he is _human_." _So Julian is human again_. But why was Christian telling her this? She jerked away from him, scowling.

"Let go!"

"Do it, Victoria," he urged, and Vic heard a certain desperation in his tone. She looked at him carefully, but he just threw her wrists back at her and whirled around, striding away and slipping through a door. Vic didn't follow. _That's all he wants,_ Victoria realized, _to be free of Julian. _Just like her.

Yet he was too much of a coward to do it himself. Victoria was no coward. She would fight.

But Vic hesitated, looking to Jacob for a second. She saw that Jetty had crawled back to his side and was holding his face in her hands. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips moving rapidly with what looked like a faery spell. Vic opened her mouth to shout at her, but then noticed the blood flow from Jacob's neck slowing, stopping–

Jetty was healing him. And when the faerie opened her eyes, her gaze was pleading and desperate and… full of something else. Something Vic suddenly recognized as _love_. Or as close as someone so young could get to it. And somehow, she knew that Jacob was in good hands.

Victoria looked back at the two boys locked in the fight. Julian had drawn his own blade from his belt and it didn't matter if he was human again; his skill still outmatched Kaden's. Kaden was currently holding his own against Julian – he _was_ a warrior, after all – but Vic knew that he wouldn't win, and that _she couldn't bear to see Kaden hurt._ She realized with a start that _that_ was how she'd looked at him the first time Julian had hurt him, in a way that was parallel to the way Jetty was looking at Jacob right now.

Since when had she come to care so much about this strong, beautiful, naïve boy?

She was jolted out of her thoughts when Kaden's seraph blade skittered across the floor as he cried out and clutched his bleeding hand. Julian, instead of going in for the kill, tossed his own blade down and punched him square across the jaw, knocking Kaden senseless to the floor before turning to Victoria.

"One drink from you and it will be done," he said, his breathing ragged. He was relentless, stalking forward. But Vic couldn't help but notice he had lost some of his vampire grace, and as he neared, she could feel the heat of his body, see the pulse in his throat.

Everything had happened so fast up until now, and it was then that she knew what she had to do.

"Stay with me, Maria," he continued. "Let me do this, and once I am immortal you can join me, and we will be together again." And then his hands were wrapped around her upper arms in a hot iron grip, her back shoved against the hard stone curve of a pillar.

"_Julian_," she gasped his name, and time seemed to slow. His eyes, dark and fathomless, locked on hers. Only they existed. Everything else fell away and _he was human again._ Could she do this? In that moment, the world seemed to stop as his lips met hers, hands sliding up to cradle her face and wind in her hair. Her own hands came up from her belt, around his body in an embrace–

And drove the dagger home, straight through his back.

She jerked the dagger back out, letting it clatter to the floor. She felt him stiffen, drawing in a sharp breath as he pulled away from her mouth, dark eyes open wide and staring down at her. His lips were parted, but he didn't say a word.

Vic knew the instant he was gone. The warmth had left him once again, and when he crumpled to the ground she went with him, arms still wrapped around him. She didn't realize she was crying until his shirt was soaked with her tears.

* * *

Kaden touched her shoulder gently. Her sobs had slowed, but her cheeks were still wet, her face pressed against Julian's cold, silent chest. "Are you hurt?"

_Yes. _But that wasn't the kind of hurt he was talking about. Julian had loved her, however twisted, and she had loved him back in a way, despite everything. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.

"No," Victoria replied quietly, her voice scratchy. She pushed herself up, feeling the sticky, widening pool of Julian's blood soaked into her clothes. Red, human blood.

She looked up at Kaden, who was staring down at her concernedly, green eyes wide. His jaw was purpled with a bruise where Julian had punched him. She reached up and touched his face hesitantly with two fingers. He didn't flinch.

Then she looked past him, to where Jetty was with Jacob, hugging him tightly. Jake was sitting up, his face bent to rest on her head as he hugged her back. When he looked up and saw Victoria he disengaged himself gently from Jetty's grasp.

They both stood, motionless for a second before Jacob ran to her and she took him tightly in her arms. He almost knocked her over again, reminding her that he wasn't a kid anymore. But in this moment, he needed to be held like one. And she needed to hold him.

"Jacob," she said, just his name, the sound of it carrying overwhelming relief.

* * *

Kaden watched, surprised by the intensity of his own relief that Jacob was okay. He was bone-tired and sore all over from fighting Julian, but every moment, every second of hardship, of pain and difficulty, was worth it, just to see the look on her face when Jacob was in her arms again.

Julian was dead – she killed him herself –but he knew as he looked into Victoria's eyes that something in her had died with him. He knew by the sound of her tears, and the silver bracelet that still hung around her wrist, and Kaden knew Julian would always be a part of her. And his chest ached to see her pain, but there was nothing he could do.

It was a fragile moment when Jacob took her hand. Jetty stood to the side, looking small and solemn. Jacob took her hand as well, and Victoria reached out and laced her fingers with Kaden. Her eyes held inexplicable sadness, but that warred with happiness and relief. Kaden held her fingers tightly.

And they walked silently from the house, hand in hand just like that.

Right into the waiting arms of the Clave.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: This is it. The bittersweet end. I'm toying with some other ideas, so don't be too dissapointed. I don't think I'm done with Cassie Clare's world yet! All your feedback has been truly, greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone!**

**CHAPTER 26 – Light**

_No._ It was both Kaden and Victoria's thought at the same time, and they both looked stricken. Ten or so Shadowhunters had gathered outside the mansion in full gear, preparing to go in. Kaden's stomach dropped and dread washed through Victoria.

"Kaden!" He heard his name called, and felt Victoria's gaze go to him. Vernon, his mentor, stepped forward to greet them.

"Kaden, what's going on?" said Victoria and Vernon in unison. But while Vernon's voice was loud and concerned, Vic's voice was quiet and stunned. Kaden turned to his friends. Victoria, her face white, stared back at him. Jacob was looking wide-eyed at the mass of Shadowhunters, but turned to look at Jetty as her hand tightened in his. Jetty had her eyes squeezed shut in concentration–

"Kaden?" Vernon inquired again. "Who are these people? Where is the rogue vampire?" Kaden's head spun.

"I–"

"You called the Clave," Victoria said distantly. She stared out at the other Shadowhunter like her whole world was falling apart. And to her, it was. She had run not only from Julian, but from the Shadowhunter Law as well. She herself was a _rogue_. She lived with a premature _warlock_. She was unregistered, and still practiced Shadowhunting. She knew if they ever found her the Clave would strip her Marks and take everything away from her. _Everything_.

"Victoria, I'm sorry, I thought–"

"Thought _what_?" The dazedness was gone; she looked back at him sharply, eyes flashing with betrayal that ran deep as a wound.

"I thought we weren't going to be able to do this on our own," he said pleadingly, willing for her to understand his reasoning.

"You knew," she said in a low voice, fury building along with her despair. "You knew what it meant to bring the Clave into this! How could you do this, Kaden? _How could you?"_

Kaden felt sick as he looked into her face and saw no forgiveness. He had only been trying to protect her. Instead he had taken away any last chance of her living the life she wanted, and she hated him for it.

Kaden turned back to Vernon, the world slowing. What could he say? There was no way to salvage the situation. But when Vernon just stood there, frozen, Kaden was confused.

It seemed the world hadn't only slowed in his head. The Shadowhunters were still as statues. Kaden glanced quickly back at Victoria, who was staring as well. Except she was looking down at Jacob.

* * *

Jacob felt Jetty's hand in his, the touch burning like cold fire. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he concentrated with all his might. He could feel her magic, her faery magic, straining along with his own. She was powerful and she guided him through the spell.

The nature of the spell was complex, and it was difficult to stretch it to so many people, work it on so many Shadowhunters. But sparks flew across the back of his eyelids and the magic in him welled up and overflowed. He heard Jetty gasp, but it was pouring forth, unstoppable. The spell sung a high clear note.

With invisible finger he touched the minds of each Shadowhunter. _We were never here. You got an anonymous call. You will search the building and find nothing other than what is mundane._

When Jake opened his eyes again, he looked at Jetty. She grinned at him, despite the fatigue in her face. He gazed at her in wonder, his whole world transformed to prismatic colour. And Jetty, faerie or not, was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

He felt Vic's hand in his other, and turned to her.

"Quick, let's go!" he said.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Just a little magic," he replied.

* * *

When they finally got back to the garage, Victoria had never been so relieved to get back to the small space. Surprisingly, it felt like… like _home_.

"Jetty can stay, can't she?" Jacob asked. He had not let go of her hand.

"Of course," Victoria replied, and Jacob grinned.

"C'mon, I'll show you the bedroom…" His voice faded as he pulled Jetty into the other room. Vic turned toward Kaden, who stood silently. She looked at him for a moment, and he met her gaze with infinite sorrow.

"Come here," she said, her voice harsh. He stepped forward, surprised. "Closer." He moved in until their bodies were so close she could feel his warmth. For the longest time, she just looked at him.

Honey-golden skin, smooth and flawless. Tall with lean muscles. Tousled, espresso-dark brown hair. Cat-green eyes, curved lips, straight nose. Black curling Marks disappearing beneath his shirt. She reached up and traced one with a fingertip. His skin was warm.

She grabbed his collar abruptly, pulling him down so her lips could meet his in a kiss so sweet and perfect and exactly what she needed. _He_ was everything she needed. Nothing else mattered while she was wrapped in his warm embrace. And the tears she cried were not sad; they were of happiness, of joy and new beginnings.

They were the tears of a girl who walked through a city of shadows and into the light.


End file.
